P108: Prevalence of Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding and its Association with Intolerance of Uncertainty and Impulsivity

Hoarding is characterized by the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions. Hoarding resembles obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in several ways. The avoidance of and difficulties with discarding seem to be driven by fears of losing something significant or being responsible for a bad outcome. These could be thought of as obsessional fears. Just as in OCD, the decision-making difficulties in patients with hoarding may arise from intolerance for uncertainty. On the other hand, hoarding has also been observed in specific impulse control disorders (ICDs). Therefore, the current study tested the hypothesis that hoarding would be as strongly related to impulsivity as it is to intolerance of uncertainty. The intent of the study was to determine the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive hoarding among university students and to examine its association with intolerance of uncertainty and impulsivity. Using a stratified random sampling procedure, a large sample of 1263 students was recruited for the study. Data were collected by administering the intolerance of uncertainty scale, Dickman impulsivity inventory and the saving inventory (revised). Multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. Findings reveal that obsessive-compulsive hoarding was reported by 16.17% of the sample. No gender differences emerged in any of the components of obsessive-compulsive hoarding. An examination of gender differences on the other variables revealed that boys tended to report greater functional impulsivity. Regression analysis revealed only one factor of intolerance of uncertainty, points to the belief that uncertainty has negative behavioral and self-referent implications. This negative effect accounts for 13.6% and dysfunctional impulsivity accounts for 5.6% of the variance in hoarding. Findings imply that hoarding bears similarities to both OCD and ICD and both intolerance for uncertainty and impulsivity are likely to be attenuated in hoarding.