The Association Between Age And Experienced Emotions In Hoarding Disorder

Objectives: Hoarding disorder (HD) is conceptualized as a fear-based disorder and exposure to sorting/discarding possessions is a core part of treatment. However, there has been no investigation of age-related differences in emotional reaction to sorting. The objective of this study was to explore the association between age and affective response during a sorting task. Methods: Forty-nine adults with HD completed a standardized sorting task. Participants reported their current emotion before and after the sorting task and reported their subjective distress throughout the task. Results: Older participants reported significantly lower distress ratings. Only 43% of participants reported fear prior to the task and 22% reported fear after the task. The probability of reporting fear before and after the task decreased significantly with age. Conclusions: Fear may not be the emotion experienced when discarding items, particularly for older adults with HD. Future work should focus on mechanisms of action in HD treatment.