Intolerance of uncertainty as a vulnerability factor for hoarding behaviors

Abstract

Background: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been identified as a key vulnerability factor among numerous anxiety related conditions. It has been suggested that individuals engage in uncertainty-motivated behaviors such as avoidance, as a way to cope with ambiguous and potentially distressing situations. Patterns of behavioral avoidance have also been observed in a substantial number of hoarding patients and are thought to directly contribute to the avoidance of discarding. However, no studies to date have examined the potential relationship between IU and hoarding. The primary aim of the current investigation was to examine the association between IU and hoarding behaviors.

Method: Participants consisted of 279 college students from a large southern university.

Results: Results revealed that IU was a significant predictor of hoarding severity after controlling for relevant covariates. Moreover, when looking at the relationships among IU subfactors and hoarding, results indicated that Factor 1 was significantly associated with hoarding severity whereas Factor 2 was not.

Limitations: Future research should attempt to replicate the findings within clinical populations. Additionally, due to the cross sectional nature of the study, future work should utilize a longitudinal design.

Conclusions: The current study provides additional evidence that IU is an important individual difference variable associated with various anxiety related conditions. Moreover, our findings revealed that IU is a unique and robust predictor of hoarding behaviors. Increasing our knowledge of vulnerability factors in compulsive hoarding has important implications for the classification of this disorder within DSM-V. Additionally, this information could inform future research and treatment programs.