Excessive Object Attachment in Hoarding Disorder: Examining the Role of Interpersonal Functioning

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Excessive attachment to possessions can lead to maladaptive acquiring and saving behaviors.
• Interpersonal factors are theorized to influence the development and changes in object attachment over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if interpersonal attachment style and empathy moderate changes in object attachment over time.
• To investigate the relationship between interpersonal factors and excessive object attachment in individuals with acquiring difficulties.

Main Methods:

• 145 participants with excessive acquiring/discarding difficulties rated object attachment at two time points.
• Participants completed measures of interpersonal anxious attachment, interpersonal functioning, and empathy.
• Longitudinal assessment of object attachment changes in relation to interpersonal variables.

Main Results:

• Changes in object attachment were significantly moderated by interpersonal anxious attachment.
• Individuals with hoarding problems showed difficulty displaying empathy in tense social situations and higher empathy for fictional characters.
• Discomfort in tense social situations and empathy for fictional characters interacted to predict greater object attachment.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal anxious attachment style may indicate a risk for increased object attachment over time.
• Hoarding may involve using objects to compensate for unmet interpersonal needs.
• Treatment for hoarding symptoms may benefit from targeting interpersonal functioning and social skills.