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Object attachment and emotions in hoarding disorder.

Keong Yap1, Jessica R Grisham2

  • 1University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2034, Australia; Australian Catholic University, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Strathfield, NSW 2035, Australia.

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People with hoarding disorder (HD) and controls show similar object attachment, but those with HD experience more mixed emotions, indicating insecure attachment to possessions.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Object attachment is central to hoarding disorder (HD) but also present in individuals without HD.
  • Clarifying differences between normal and abnormal object attachment is crucial.
  • Previous research links HD to heightened emotional reactivity, but discrete emotion patterns in object attachment remain unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nature and intensity of discrete emotions associated with object attachment in individuals with and without hoarding disorder.
  • To differentiate emotional experiences related to possessions between hoarding disorder patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 93 individuals with HD and 93 matched controls via MTurk.
  • Participants described an emotionally significant, low-value possession they found difficult to discard.
  • Assessed object attachment and emotional intensity imagining being with (Scenario A) or losing (Scenario B) the possession.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in overall object attachment were found between groups.
  • Individuals with HD reported more incongruent emotions (e.g., disgust, anxiety, anger) when imagining being with their object (Scenario A).
  • The HD group reported being more relaxed when imagining losing the object (Scenario B) compared to controls; congruent emotions did not differ.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals with and without hoarding disorder exhibit comparable emotional attachment to sentimental items.
  • Hoarding disorder is characterized by more mixed or incongruent emotions regarding possessions, suggesting insecure object attachment.