Parental bonding and hoarding in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Genetics

Background:

• Hoarding behavior may represent a distinct subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Existing research links hoarding to emotional over-attachment to objects.
• The connection between hoarding and parental attachment in OCD requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between perceived parental rearing dimensions and hoarding behavior in adults with OCD.
• To explore potential sex-specific differences in this relationship.

Main Methods:

• The study included 894 adults diagnosed with DSM-IV OCD.
• Parental bonding was assessed using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), measuring care, overprotection, and control.
• Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between parenting scores and hoarding, with adjustments for clinical features.

Main Results:

• In women with OCD, hoarding was associated with lower perceived maternal care and higher maternal overprotection and overcontrol.
• Women reporting low maternal care and high maternal protection had significantly greater odds of hoarding.
• No significant differences in parental bonding scores were found between hoarding and non-hoarding men.

Conclusions:

• Poor maternal care, overprotection, and overcontrol are linked to hoarding in women with OCD.
• Parenting dimensions are not associated with hoarding in men with OCD.
• Findings suggest sex-specific etiological pathways for hoarding within OCD, supporting a hoarding subtype.