Formation of attachment to possessions in compulsive hoarding Jessica R. Grisham a, *, Randy O. Frost c , Gail Steketee b , Hyo-Jin Kim b , Anna Tarkoff c , Sarah Hood c a University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2034, Australia b Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA c Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063 , USA Compulsive hoarding has been described as ‘‘the acquisition of and failure to discard possessions that appear to be worthless or of limited value’’ (Frost & Gross, 1993). It is a multi-faceted, heterogeneous syndrome with important differences among patients in the underlying function of collecting and saving behavior (Abramowitz, Wheaton, & Storch, 2008; Frost & Steketee, 2008; Grisham, Brown, Liverant, & Campbell, 2005). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders conceptualizes hoarding as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. In this context, it is described as the inability ‘‘to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value’’ presuming that hoarding behaviors are not motivated by reasons of emotional attachment to possessions (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 726). This presumption contradicts recent theory and research on compulsive hoarding. Strong evidence suggests that many hoarding patients display an excessive sentimental attachment to possessions (Frost & Gross, 1993; Frost & Hartl, 1996; Frost, Hartl, Christian, & Williams, 1995; Shafran & Tallis, 1996; Warren & Ostrom, 1988). Hoarding is also considered to be a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) (e.g., Christenson & Greist, 2001; Samuels et al., 2002), and many studies have recruited people with hoarding symptoms from OCD clinics (Mataix-Cols, Rauch, Manzo, Jenike, & Baer, 1999; Winsberg, Cassic, & Koran, 1999). Whether compulsive hoarding is a discrete or continuous phenomenon has not yet been established. Most of the existing research on hoarding, however, has relied on analogue samples and found relationships among variables that mirror those found in clinical populations (e.g., Frost & Gross, 1993). In addition, compulsive hoarding patients usually report the same reasons for saving as people who do not hoard, although they are applied to a greater number of items (Frost et al., 1998). Thus literature on the meaning of possessions and the motivations behind saving in Western cultures may shed some light on attachment to possessions in compulsive hoarding. Furby (1978) suggested that people typically save for sentimental and instrumental motives. Some individuals hold on to their belongings because of a sense of emotional attachment to the object, while others save because of its perceived use. Moreover, Furby (1978) hypothesized that the core of instrumental saving is a need for the ability to bring about desired outcomes in the environment. Possessions are seen as physical extensions of the self, which enable a person to exert direct control over their immediate physical and social environment, resulting in feelings of self-efficacy. Abelson and Prentice (1989) partially corrobo- rated Furby’s findings by illustrating that in addition to having functional value, possessions have symbolic value, helping people to express different aspects of themselves. Pierce, Kostova, and Dirks (2003) proposed that ownership helps individuals define themselves, express to others who they are, and enable them to maintain a sense of continuity, and to remain connected to the past. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 23 (2009) 357–361 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 18 March 2008 Received in revised form 8 December 2008 Accepted 21 December 2008 Keywords: Compulsive hoarding Attachment Obsessive-compulsive disorder Collecting Saving ABSTRACT Hypersentimentality to possessions has been proposed to play an important role in the development and maintenance of compulsive hoarding. The current study prospectively examined the formation of attachment to a newly acquired object in an OCD sample (n = 62) to determine whether specific hoarding symptoms moderated the development of attachment to an object over time. Participants rated their level of attachment to a keychain immediately upon receipt (time 1) and one week later (time 2). We hypothesized that individuals with a tendency to hoard and strong beliefs about the value of possessions would exhibit greater attachment to the object over time. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that a person’s initial attachment to the object was the best predictor of attachment one week later. Although emotional attachment increased similarly for all participants independent of their hoarding symptoms, specific hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors uniquely predicted initial attachment to the keychain. ß 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 2 9385 3031; fax: +61 2 9385 3641. E-mail address: jgrisham@psy.unsw.edu.au (J.R. Grisham). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Anxiety Disorders 0887-6185/$ – see front matter ß 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.12.006