HOARDING IN USERS OF ONLINE CLASSIFIED ADVERTSEMENTS

Background Hoarding disorder (HD) is a mental disorder that has been newly included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition. It is estimated that 2-6% of adults in the general population suffer from clinically significant hoarding symptoms, with 80 to 90% engaging in excessive acquisition [1]. Little research has examined the excessive acquisition component of hoarding disorder(HD), although preliminary evidence suggests that buying and obtaining free things are markers of HD severity. [2] Classified ad networks on the web provide a way to list items for sale, often for free. Many individuals who suffer from HD have limited insight into their condition and are reluctant to seek help, making prevalence estimates difficult to obtain. We elected to examine the prevalence of hoarding behaviours among users of online classified advertisements. Methods A link to an online survey was posted on the following classified ad sites: Kijiji, Craigslist, Locanto, Reddit and postad.ca. The ads were posted in communities across Canada from June 26, 2015 to February 26, 2016. Following acknowledgment of a disclosure statement, participants were asked to complete a short demographics questionnaire and general questions regarding their use of online classified advertisements; no personal identifiers were collected. The Hoarding Rating Scale (HRS) was then completed; individuals with clinically significant hoarding (based on HRS) also completed the Saving Inventory-Revised(SI-R) and the Clutter Image Rating. Participants were provided with feedback on their hoarding behaviours. Results Seven hundred twenty-four individuals completed the survey; 69% of respondents came from Kijiji advertisements. The sample was 66% female, with a mean age of 39.9 ± 13.8 years; 55% were married, 29% were single, 9% were separated or divorced and 1% were widowed. Clinically significant hoarding behavior was identified in 11% (n=80) using the HRS (x̅ 26.1 ± 5.2 versus x̅ 9.9 ± 7.0 in those without significant hoarding, p < .0001). Individuals with significant hoarding reported visiting more non-online sources of used or free items such as garage sales: x̅ 2.5 ± 1.6 sources versus x̅ 2.0 ± 1.6 sources (p = .006). No significant differences were found between hoarders and non-hoarders in the amount of time spent visiting online advertising sites, with approximately 30% of both groups reporting spending ≥ 20 hours per month visiting these sites. The hoarding group (n=80) also had scores indicating significant hoarding on the SI-R (x̅ 54.7 ± 12.2) but not on the Clutter Image Rating. Discussion This sample of individuals visiting online classified ad sites had high rates of clinically significant hoarding behaviours - double that found in the general population. The amount of time spent on online classified sites did not appear to be associated with hoarding. Online classified ad sites may represent a unique medium to study individuals with hoarding behaviours.