Family accommodation in problem hoarding

Problem hoarding is associated with significant family dysfunction and burden on family members. Currently, little is known about the effect that family members have on individuals' hoarding symptoms and functioning, and vice versa. The present study examined the nature and frequency of accommodation in hoarding. Fifty-two individuals with self-reported hoarding problems and their close significant others (CSOs) completed the Family Accommodation Interview for Hoarding (FAI-H), which was adapted from a previously validated measure for this study, and a series of self-report questionnaires. The FAI-H was found to be a reliable and valid measure of accommodation in problem hoarding. CSOs who lived with the individual with the hoarding problem reported engaging in accommodating behaviors more frequently than those who did not live with the individual. Accommodation was positively associated with hoarding symptom severity, relationship functioning, and CSOs' rejecting attitudes toward the individual with hoarding problems, and it partially mediated the association between hoarding symptom severity and relationship conflict. These results inform our understanding of accommodation and interpersonal processes in hoarding, and suggest that accommodation may play an important role in problem hoarding.