Clinical characteristics and predictors of hoarding in children with anxiety disorders

Rebecca J. Hamblin, Adam B. Lewin, Alison Salloum, Erika A. Crawford, Nicole M. McBride, Eric A. Storch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: This investigation was conducted to describe the clinical of characteristics of anxious children with significant hoarding behavior and to examine the contributions of anxiety, obsessive compulsive, and inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in the prediction of hoarding. Method: One hundred nine children seeking treatment for an anxiety disorder and their parents completed clinician-administered and parent-report measures of emotional and behavioral symptoms, functional impairment, and hoarding symptoms. Results: Elevated levels of hoarding were reported for 22% of the sample. Children with elevated hoarding scored significantly higher on measures of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, attention, social, and thought problems, rule-breaking, aggression, and overall functional impairment and had higher rates of major depressive disorder than children without hoarding. Attention problems predicted hoarding symptomology over-and-above the contributions of either anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Conclusions: Findings suggest a pattern of behavioral and emotional dysregulation for children who hoard and provide further insight into the relationships between anxiety, attention problems, and hoarding.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)9-14
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Anxiety Disorders
Volume36
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Child anxiety
  • Hoarding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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