Hard to let it go: repetitive negative thinking and hoarding in later life in Japan

Abstract

Objectives: Hoarding in older adults can have a detrimental effect on daily life. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) could result in a greater avoidance of discarding and increased saving behaviors; yet, the unique role of RNT on hoarding in older adults remains understudied. This study aimed to investigate whether the intensity of RNT contributes to hoarding in older adults. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-four older adults in Japan (ages 65–86 years, 132 males and 132 females) participated in an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine whether RNT could significantly explain the variance of hoarding after controlling for age, sex, years of education, self-reported cognitive impairment, and depression. Results: As we expected, RNT was significantly associated with greater hoarding behaviors, such as excessive acquisition (β = .27, p = .005) and difficulty in discarding (β = .27, p = .003). On the other hand, reflection, repetitive thinking without negative emotional valence, was significantly associated with higher scores on clutter (β = .36 p < .001). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of addressing RNT in the prevention and treatment of hoarding symptoms among older adults, potentially leading to more effective interventions and improved outcomes in managing hoarding behaviors in this population.

Keywords:

• hoarding
• brooding
• reflection
• cognitive function
• depression

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our appreciation to all the research participants.

Authors’ contributions

Conceptualization and methodology, AT, SA, and SH; Formal analysis, AT; writing—original draft, AT; writing—review & editing, AT, SA, GC, YK, and SH; resources, YK and SH; supervision, SH; funding acquisition, YK and SH.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Statement of ethics

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Iwate Prefectural University IRB [IRB Tracking Number. 356]. All participants completed an online informed consent form and provided written informed consent.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due to ethics restrictions, but available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported in part by the Laureate Institute for Brain Research and JSPS KAKENHI, Grant Award Number 18K03102.