Impact of Childhood Environmental Unpredictability on Hoarding Behavior: Attachment as Mediator and Environmental Cues as Moderator.

Abstract

This study examined the impact of childhood environmental unpredictability on hoarding behavior, focusing on the mediating roles of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance and the moderating role of environmental cues. Three studies were conducted: Study 1 investigated the effect of childhood environmental unpredictability on hoarding behavior through big data analysis and an experiment; Study 2 tested the mediating effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance, as well as the moderating role of environmental cues, using a two-stage questionnaire; and Study 3 further explored differences in hoarding behavior across attachment styles. Results indicated that childhood environmental unpredictability significantly and positively predicted hoarding behavior, with attachment anxiety and avoidance serving as parallel mediators. Moreover, pandemic-related environmental cues moderated the direct effect of childhood environmental unpredictability on hoarding behavior, with this effect weakening after the cues diminished. These findings provide novel insights into hoarding behavior as an adaptive response to childhood environmental unpredictability, clarify the roles of attachment anxiety and avoidance as adaptive mechanisms, and underscore the influence of current environmental cues in shaping hoarding behavior.