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

Excessive attachment towards possessions can be maladaptive because it can lead individuals to excessively acquire and save objects. Little is known about how attachment to objects develops and changes over time; however, interpersonal factors have been theorized to play a role. The current study examined whether interpersonal factors, specifically interpersonal attachment style and empathy, moderate changes in object attachment over time. A total of 145 participants with excessive acquiring and discarding difficulties rated their level of attachment to a novel object just after receiving it, and 1 week later. Participants also completed measures of interpersonal anxious attachment and interpersonal functioning. We found that changes in object attachment over time were moderated by interpersonal anxious attachment. Also, our findings suggested that individuals with hoarding problems are likely not impaired in their ability to empathize with others, but rather have difficulty displaying empathy in tense social situations and also have more empathy for fictional characters. Further, greater discomfort in tense social situations and greater empathy for fictional characters interacted to predict greater object attachment. Taken together, these findings indicate that individuals with an interpersonal anxious attachment style may be those at risk of forming greater attachments to objects over time. A learning history that includes inconsistent support from caregivers may result in individuals experiencing more empathy for fictional characters and discomfort in tense social situations, which may produce a vulnerability for becoming excessively attached to objects. Our results are in line with theories of hoarding which propose that individuals use objects to compensate for unmet interpersonal needs and suggest that treatment may need to target interpersonal functioning to reduce hoarding symptoms.     

Compulsive buying and life aspirations: An analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic goals

This study intends to gain better insight into the role the life aspirations described in the framework of Self-determination theory play in compulsive buying. Profiles based on the importance and likelihood for extrinsic and intrinsic personal goals in three groups with low, moderate, and high compulsive buying propensities from a general population representative sample (N = 2159) were initially established. Moreover, results from MANCOVA analyses showed that the high propensity group obtained significantly higher scores on the importance placed on each and every one of the extrinsic goals of financial success, image, popularity, and conformity, and on the likelihood of attainment of image and conformity. As for the intrinsic aspirations, it was confirmed that while the high risk group presented similar or significantly higher scores on the importance placed to them, they obtained significantly lower scores for the likelihood of attaining all the intrinsic goals of self-acceptance, affiliation, community feeling, physical health, and safety. Accordingly, interventions focused on the potentiation of the perceived likelihood of attainment of intrinsic goals, jointly with the reduction of the importance ascribed to extrinsic aspirations, may contribute to the effective treatment and prevention of compulsive buying.     

Categorization and cognitive deficits in compulsive hoarding

According to the cognitive-behavioural model of compulsive hoarding, information-processing deficits in the areas of attention, memory, decision-making, and categorization contribute to hoarding behaviour. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether individuals with compulsive hoarding exhibited impairment on executive functioning and categorization tasks. Three groups of participants were recruited (N = 60): individuals with compulsive hoarding syndrome, individuals with an Axis I mood or anxiety disorder, and non-clinical control participants. All participants completed self-report measures of cognitive difficulties, neuropsychological tests of executive functioning and decision-making, and four categorization tasks. Results suggested that hoarding participants reported more cognitive failures and more problems with attention and decision-making than non-clinical control participants. In addition, hoarding participants performed worse than both control groups on the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC), a neuropsychological test of planning ability, and were slower and more anxious during a categorization task. These findings suggest that specific deficits in executive functioning may be associated with the difficulties hoarding patients have organizing their possessions.     

The relationship between lottery ticket and scratch‐card buying behaviour,personality and other compulsive behaviours

The study examines how demographics, other forms of compulsive behaviour and personality are related to the buying frequency and compulsiveness in lottery tickets and scratch‐cards. An integrative framework is developed and tested in a sample of respondents. Results indicated that the buying compulsivenesses in lottery tickets and scratch‐cards have the same correlates. The buying compulsivenesses in both lottery tickets and scratch‐cards were found to be positively related to cigarette consumption and the extraversion dimension of personality and negatively related to the agreeableness and intellect dimensions of personality. Copyright © 2002 Stewart Publications Ltd.     

Effects of Group Functional Behavior-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior in a Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often present with comorbid Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors (OCBs), but little research exists on effective intervention for OCBs. Using a single-case experimental design, this study highlights the efficacy of a Group Functional Behavior-based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (Fb-CBT) to reduce OCBs in an 11-year-old youth with ASD. Tailored to the individual needs of this youth, Fb-CBT included traditional CBT components (e.g., psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral skills training, and exposure and response prevention) coupled with functional behavior assessment and intervention. Time-series parent report data and standardized measures showed clinically significant decreases in OCBs, an increase in psychosocial functioning, and high consumer satisfaction.     

囤积症的行为心理特征及相关因素

囤积症是指过度获取和不能丢弃那些没有用处或失去价值的物品。这种行为通常会给患者本人及其家庭成员带来感情、躯体、财务、社会甚至法律方面的负面影响。对于囤积症的行为特征、心理特征及相关因素,学界已有大量的研究。近期,囤积症已被纳入DSM-5,这将有助于确定有持续性丢弃困难的个体,并对其予以帮助与干预。     

Comparison of treatment seeking compulsive buyers in Germany and the United States

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to compare a German (Bavaria) and an American (North Dakota) sample of women suffering from compulsive buying. METHOD: Thirty-eight German and 39 American female compulsive buyers were screened with the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS), and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Shopping Version (Y-BOCS-SV) prior to entering a group treatment study. Psychiatric co-morbidity was assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the German sample and the American sample with regard to age (mean 43.7 and 45 years, respectively), and with regard to the scores on the CBS and the Y-BOCS-SV. A high lifetime co-morbidity rate with Axis I disorders, especially mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, OCD, and binge eating disorder was detected in both samples. Almost all participants met criteria for at least one lifetime Axis I disorder. However, German compulsive buyers showed significantly higher current prevalence rates of any affective disorder, and higher current and lifetime prevalence rates of any anxiety disorder and somatoform disorder. In addition, German compulsive buyers were significantly more likely to have more than one Axis I disorder. CONCLUSION: The groups did not differ with regard to age and with regard to the severity of compulsive buying and showed a high co-morbidity with Axis I disorders. However, the German compulsive buying sample presented with significantly more psychiatric co-morbidity compared to the American sample. Further research is needed to provide a better understanding of this disorder in general and cross-culturally.     

The Impact of Addictive Behaviors on Adolescents Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Peer Support

Abstract

Studies exploring excessive Internet use and gambling are rapidly expanding concerns regarding its impact on mental health, especially in young people due to the increased prevalence of Internet and gambling addictions. Research suggests that perceived peer support plays a significant role in adolescents’ psychological well-being. However, no empirical study has dealt with the mediating effect of perceived peer support on the relationship between Internet and gambling addictions and psychological well-being. Thus, the present study aimed to examine whether perceived peer support mediates the relation between Internet and gambling addictions and psychological well-being of adolescents. A sample of 347 Iranian adolescents aged 14 to 18 (Mean age 16.14, 50.4% male) who were studying in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia participated in this study. Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), Six-item Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6), and The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were used to collect data. Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of compulsive Internet use and problem gambling on psychological well-being through perceived peer support. The total effects of compulsive Internet use and problem gambling on psychological well-being were negative. This study implies the significance of strengthening the knowledge about the impact of peer relationships among adolescents.     

Compulsive exercise or exercise dependence? Clarifying conceptualizations of exercise in the context of eating disorder pathology

ObjectiveMaladaptive exercise relates to eating disorder (ED) pathology and impairment in clinical and non-clinical populations. At present, two different conceptualizations of maladaptive exercise are often studied in relation to ED pathology: compulsive exercise and exercise dependence. Compulsive exercise functions to avoid negative affect (e.g., guilt and anxiety) associated with not exercising, whereas exercise dependence is associated with tolerance to exercise benefits and avoidance of exercise withdrawal. At present, clinicians and researchers struggle to determine the most appropriate term for describing problematic exercise in individuals with ED pathology. This study aimed to directly compare these conceptualizations of maladaptive exercise in relation to severity of ED pathology.DesignThis study examined cross-sectional data.MethodUndergraduate participants (N = 235, 78% female) with elevated ED pathology completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS). Multiple linear regression analyses evaluated associations between EDE-Q and CET and EDS scores and dominance analysis determined which qualities of exercise were uniquely associated with EDE-Q scores.ResultsResults suggest that compulsive qualities of exercise, including exercise to control shape and weight and to avoid negative affect are more strongly associated with severity of ED pathology than qualities of exercise dependence.ConclusionsClinicians and researchers working with ED populations can benefit from prioritizing assessments that capture compulsive qualities of exercise. Additionally, these results suggest that interventions that effectively target other compulsive behaviors (e.g., exposure and response prevention) may be promising treatment options for problematic exercise in the context of EDs.     

Repeated checking really does cause memory distrust

Memory phenomena associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have received increased attention in the recent literature. Some debate remains about whether OCD is characterized by deficits in memory per se, or by poor memory confidence. Following from a recent study that demonstrated memory distrust results from repeated checking of a virtual computerized stove, we asked 50 undergraduate students to repeatedly turn on, turn off and check either a real kitchen stove (relevant checking) or a real kitchen faucet (irrelevant checking) in a standardized, ritualized manner. All participants completed a final check of the stove following these 19 checking trials. Results indicated that following repeated relevant checking, participants reported significantly reduced memory confidence, vividness and detail. Repeated irrelevant checking did not produce these decreases. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive-behavioural formulations of OCD and in terms of the effects of repetition on memory and metamemory.