The Association between Age and Experienced Emotions in Hoarding Disorder. Issue 5 (20th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dozier, Mary E.; Wetherell, Julie Loebach; Amir, Nader; Weersing, V. Robin; Taylor, Charles T.; Ayers, Catherine R.
• Is Part Of: Clinical gerontologist. Volume 44:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 562
• Page End: 566
• Publication Date: 2021-10-20
• Subjects: Hoarding disorder -- affective response -- aging -- older adults -- assessment; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Geriatric psychiatry -- Periodicals; Older people -- Mental health services -- Periodicals; Older people -- Psychology -- Periodicals; 618.97689
• DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1742833
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0731-7115

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objectives : Hoarding disorder (HD) is conceptualized as a fear-based disorder and exposure to sorting/discarding possessions is a core part of treatment. However, there has been no investigation of age-related differences in emotional reaction to sorting. The objective of this study was to explore the association between age and affective response during a sorting task. Methods : Forty-nine adults with HD completed a standardized sorting task. Participants reported their current emotion before and after the sorting task and reported their subjective distress throughout the task. Results : Older participants reported significantly lower distress ratings. Only 43% of participants reported fear prior to the task and 22% reported fear after the task. The probability of reporting fear before and after the task decreased significantly with age. Conclusions : Fear may not be the emotion experienced when discarding items, particularly for older adults with HD. Future work should focus on mechanisms of action in HD treatment. Clinical Implications : Clinicians should not assume fear or anxiety to be the primary emotional response in older adults with HD when engaged in an exposure to sorting/discarding. Older hoarding patients with a more fear-oriented aversion to sorting possessions may require a treatment emphasis on increasing the percentage of items discarded.