The Association between Age and Experienced Emotions in Hoarding Disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Gerontology
• Psychology

Background:

• Hoarding disorder (HD) is often viewed as a fear-based condition.
• Exposure therapy involving sorting and discarding possessions is a key treatment for HD.
• Limited research exists on age-related emotional responses during HD treatment tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between age and emotional responses during a sorting task in individuals with hoarding disorder.
• To determine if age influences distress levels and fear experienced while sorting possessions.

Main Methods:

• Forty-nine adults diagnosed with hoarding disorder participated in the study.
• Participants underwent a standardized sorting task involving their possessions.
• Emotional states, including fear and distress, were measured before, during, and after the task.

Main Results:

• A significant inverse correlation was found between age and reported distress levels.
• The prevalence of reporting fear decreased significantly with increasing age, both before and after the sorting task.
• Only 43% reported fear pre-task and 22% post-task, with older adults showing lower fear reporting.

Conclusions:

• Fear may not be the predominant emotion associated with discarding items for older adults with hoarding disorder.
• Clinical interventions for hoarding disorder should consider age-specific emotional profiles.
• Future research should explore alternative emotional mechanisms and treatment targets in older hoarding disorder patients.