Hoarding and depression: The mediating role of perceived burdensomeness

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Hoarding behaviors are known to cause social isolation and family relationship issues.
• The link between hoarding and interpersonal factors like perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness remains understudied.
• Understanding these interpersonal factors may clarify the relationship between hoarding and depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between hoarding severity and perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.
• To examine whether perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness mediate the relationship between hoarding severity and depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• 125 community participants with elevated hoarding symptoms were assessed.
• Measures included hoarding severity, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, negative affect, and depressive symptoms.
• Statistical analyses examined associations and mediation effects.

Main Results:

• Hoarding severity was significantly associated with perceived burdensomeness, even when controlling for negative affect.
• Perceived burdensomeness significantly mediated the association between hoarding severity and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence that perceived burdensomeness may be a key mechanism linking hoarding severity to depression.
• Findings highlight the importance of interpersonal factors in understanding hoarding disorder and its depressive comorbidities.
• Future research should validate these findings in clinical populations.