Prevalence of hoarding behaviours and excessive acquisition in users of online classified advertisements

An estimated 2-6% of the general population is thought to suffer from clinically significant hoarding symptoms, with 80-90% engaging in excessive acquisition. Minimal research has examined the excessive acquisition component of hoarding disorder (HD). Many individuals with HD have limited insight into their condition and are reluctant to seek help, making prevalence estimates difficult to obtain. Online classified advertisement networks provide a venue to list items for sale, often for free. We examined the prevalence of hoarding behaviours among users of online classified advertisements. A link to an online survey was posted between June 26, 2015-March 10, 2017. Participants provided demographic information and completed the Hoarding Rating Scale (HRS); individuals with clinically significant hoarding (High HRS) also completed the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R) and Clutter Image Rating (CIR). Feedback regarding hoarding behaviours was provided. The survey was completed by 729 adults and 12.3% (n = 90) self-identified as experiencing clinically significant hoarding as per the HRS (High HRS). Of those in the High HRS group, most (66.7%) were categorized to the 'high acquisition' group based on the SI-R excessive acquisition subscale. Overall this sample revealed high rates of significant hoarding behaviours, almost double that of community samples. Excessive acquisition was prominent and associated with greater hoarding severity, highlighting the need to further study this specifier.