Family burden of compulsive hoarding: Results of an internet survey
Open accessAbstract
Compulsive hoarding, the acquisition of and failure to discard large numbers of possessions, is associated with substantial health risk, impairment in functioning, and economic burden. Despite clear indications that hoarding has a detrimental effect on people living with or near someone with a hoarding problem, no empirical research has examined these harmful effects. The aim of the present study was to examine the burden of hoarding on family members. Six hundred sixty-five family informants who reported having a family member or friend with hoarding behaviors completed an internet-based survey. Living with an individual who hoards during childhood was associated with elevated reports of childhood distress and family strain. Family members reported high levels of patient rejection attitudes, suggesting high levels of family frustration and hostility. Rejecting attitudes were predicted by severity of hoarding symptoms, the individual's perceived lack of insight into the behavior, and having lived in a cluttered environment during childhood. These results suggest that compulsive hoarding adversely impacts not only the hoarding individual, but also those living with them.
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Previous research has found that individuals who hoard seem to do so often at the expense of the well-being of family members.
“These findings are consistent with previous research which has found that individuals who hoard seem to do so often at the expense of the well being of family members (Drury et al., 2014; Tolin et al., 2008).”
From Why did all the toilet paper disappear? Distinguishing between panic buying and hoarding during COVID-19 (2021) · cites this paper as Tolin et al., 2008
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- Authors
- Tolin, D. F., Frost, R. O., Steketee, G., & Fitch, K. E.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Smith College (US)
- Boston University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tolin, David F.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-03
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 334-344
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3018822
- OpenAlex
- W2018850378
- Cited by
- 288
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 55 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 14.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Smith ScholarWorks (Smith College) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH074934, MH068007, R01MH068008, R21MH068539, R01MH068007)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Personal Information Management and User Behavior
- Keywords
- hoarding disorder, family burden, family strain
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Child, Compulsive Behavior, Family Health, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Psychometrics, Child of Impaired Parents, Cost of Illness, Internet
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