Treatment outcomes in older adults with hoarding disorder: The impact of self-control, boredom and social support.

OBJECTIVES

Hoarding disorder in older adults often develops in the context of co-occurring psychosocial maladies, and treatment response tends to be suboptimal. This preliminary investigation explored several ageing-related factors and their relationship to hoarding symptom severity (HSS), and examined treatment response to 15 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with in-home support.

METHODS

Twenty-nine participants (Mage = 67) completed self-report questionnaires measuring HSS, self-control, indecisiveness, depression, loneliness, social support and boredom, before (T1) and after (T2) treatment.

RESULTS

At T1, HSS was associated marginally with loneliness and significantly with all other variables, except social support. At T2, HSS and depression decreased significantly and only boredom and self-control remained associated with HSS. Attrition rates were high, and those with low social support were more likely to discontinue treatment prematurely.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing social support may improve treatment retention, and pre-emptively reducing sources of boredom and increasing self-control during treatment might improve outcomes for older adults with hoarding disorder.