title: Formation of attachment to possessions in compulsive hoarding.
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.
authors.affiliation: University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2034, Australia. jgrisham@psy.unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Grisham
authors.forename: Randy O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steketee
authors.forename: Hyo-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarkoff
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012932:Social Facilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult