Epigenetic Consequences of Hoarding Disorder

Introduction

Hoarding Disorder (HD) occurs when an individual has difficulty discarding items due to the belief they hold value. When faced with the challenge of discarding the items, the individual experiences extreme distress which results in item accumulation and impairment of daily life functioning (Kalogeraki and Michopoulos, 2017). The implications of individuals suffering from hoarding have been extensively studied, but recent research suggests that hoarding behavior may be hard-wired in humans from our mammalian ancestors. Additionally, it can remain inactive until some form of trauma occurs (Miguel and Ligabue-Braun, 2019). In one study, shrews were used as an animal model and were found to display complex hoarding behavior during the winter months to ensure their survival, but during times of bountifulness they hoarded food items less (Ligabue-Braun, 2019). One hypothesis suggested was that during times of great stress a signaling pathway that normally lies dormant in humans can become reactivated if traumatic conditions are present (Ligabue-Braun, 2019). Individuals with a mutated form of the hoarding gene are especially susceptible to this type of behavior. By understanding the generational transmission of hoarding, preventative strategies can be employed to promote a healthier aging process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between reported parental hoarding status and psychiatric symptom severity in adult children. Hoarding has been shown to not only cause debilitation in individuals with HD, but it can cause impairment in their relatives as well (Drury et. al, 2014).

Methods

Participants were undergraduate students at a large state university in the United States who completed an online survey in exchange for course credit during the Fall 2022 semester (N = 363). Participants completed a self-report battery that included demographic questions, their parental history of clutter, perceptions about possible interventions for clutter, and standardized measures of hoarding severity, psychiatric symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. Hoarding severity was assessed using the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R), a 23-item Likert-type scale that assesses the three main symptoms of hoarding: difficulty discarding, urges to save, and impact of clutter. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form measures were used to assess symptoms of Anxiety (8a) and Depression (8b). 

Results

Eight percent of participants (n = 28) answered yes to the question “Would you consider your parent(s)/guardian(s) as people who hoard?” These participants reported higher hoarding severity on the SI-R Total (M = 23.86 (SD = 2.04) vs. M = 17.21 (SD = 13.11); t (359) = 2.61, p < .01) but not on the PROMIS Anxiety 8a and Depression 8b short forms (both ps > .05). 

Conclusions

After completing the study, epigenetic factors were found to impact the participants. Participants who considered their parents as people who hoard items excessively were found to have higher hoarding severity. By understanding how epigenetics affect their mental health, participants can have a better understanding of the etiology of some of their negative mental health symptoms, which will lead to more efficacious interventions across the lifespan.