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Hoarding severity predicts functional disability in late‐life hoarding disorder patients
Author(s) -
Ayers Catherine R.,
Ly Princeton,
Howard Ian,
Mayes Tina,
Porter Ben,
Iqbal Yasmeen
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.4057
Subject(s) - hoarding (animal behavior) , hoarding disorder , depression (economics) , anxiety , psychiatry , geriatric psychiatry , psychology , demographics , quality of life (healthcare) , clinical psychology , activities of daily living , medicine , cognition , demography , sociology , feeding behavior , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics
Objective Late‐life hoarding is a serious psychiatric condition with significant implications in health and functioning. Geriatric hoarding patients show greater impairment in activities of daily living and have a greater number of medical conditions compared with same‐aged nonhoarders. This study examined the relationship between geriatric hoarding severity and functional disability severity. Methods Sixty‐five subjects age 60 or older with hoarding disorder (HD) participated in the current study. Participants were assessed with measures of hoarding severity, psychiatric symptoms, and general disability. Hierarchical regression was used to test the unique association of hoarding symptoms with functional disability beyond the effects of demographic factors, anxiety, and depression. Results When controlling for demographics (age and gender) and psychiatric symptoms (anxiety and depression), hoarding severity predicts functional disability severity. Analyses also show that clinician‐administered measures of hoarding are stronger predictors of disability than patient self‐report measures. Conclusions When treating older adults with HD, clinicians must consider symptom impact on daily life. A multidisciplinary team must be utilized to address the wide‐ranging consequences of hoarding symptoms. Future work should examine how psychiatric treatment of HD affects functional disability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.