Attachment to people and to objects in obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory comparison of hoarders and non-hoarders

Abstract

People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who hoard have been posited to have an atypical emotional attachment to the inanimate objects that they pathologically accumulate, yet this hypothesis has not been formally examined using methodology from the attachment field. To explore this hypothesis, attachment to people and to inanimate objects was assessed in 30 individuals with OCD (n = 14 hoarders, n = 16 non-hoarders). Attachment was assessed using standard measures of interpersonal attachment: the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire and the Five Minute Speech Statement. These measures were adapted to evaluate inanimate object attachment as well. The data provides preliminary evidence that individuals who hoard report significantly higher levels of emotional over-involvement (EOI) with inanimate objects and lower levels of EOI with people than non-hoarders. Hoarders also reported significantly higher levels of care-seeking behavior from inanimate objects, and less effectiveness in making use of the inanimate object relationship in comparison to non-hoarders. Hoarding severity was correlated with significantly increased dysfunction in all of these areas. Fear of losing an inanimate object was found to significantly predict hoarding severity. In general, female participants had significantly higher mean ratings of interpersonal attachment insecurity than male participants, regardless of OCD symptomatology. Although limited in sample size and methodology, this study provides preliminary data on attachment style in people with OCD, and the data generate specific hypotheses about attachment in those who compulsively hoard that should be explored in future research.

Keywords:

• hoarding
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• OCD
• attachment

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Blair Simpson for her assistance recruting study participants, offering manuscript revisions, and for her tireless support of this project. Also Dr. Gail Steketee, Dr. Randy Frost, and Dr. Sheldon-Keller for their correspondence regarding study measures and Dr. Shawn Cahill and Dr. Michael Maher for their comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This study was funded in part by a grant from the New School for Social Research.