title: Hoarding severity predicts functional disability in late-life hoarding disorder patients.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Psychology Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ayers
authors.forename: Princeton
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mayes
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Yasmeen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002140:California; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D000067836:Hoarding Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: compulsive hoarding; disability; functional impairment; geriatric; older adults