An examination of altruism and reported values in older adults with hoarding disorder

Introduction Altruism is defined as the provision of service to others without personal gain (Midlarsky & Kahana, 1994). Altruism has been associated with heightened psychological well-being (Dulin, & Hill, 2003; Krause, Herzog, & Baker, 1992), self-esteem (Krause & Shaw, 2000), social integration (Midlarsky, Kahana, & Corley 1986), personal meaning (Kuehne & Sears, 1993), and overall life-satisfaction (Dulin et al., 2001; Fengler, 1984), especially in older adults. Previous research suggests that older adults often demonstrate more charitable behaviors than do younger adults (Bekkers et al., 2011). Hoarding disorder is defined as having persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value of an object, which leads to an overwhelming accumulation of clutter (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is a lack of research dedicated to the association between hoarding disorder and altruism. Clinically, hoarding patients tend to report saving items to donate or gift to others; however, there is often a disconnect between the patient's intention of discarding an item through giving it away and their behavior of continuing to save the item. The purpose of this study is to examine the presence of altruistic values among older adults with hoarding disorder. This will further research on the underlying mechanisms of avoidance of discarding that maintains hoarding symptomology. Methods Eighteen adults over the age of 50 enrolled in treatment studies for hoarding disorder in the Southeastern United States completed a baseline assessment that included the International Personality Item Pool – Neuroticism, Extraversion & Openness (IPIP-NEO 60; Soto & John, 2017) a 60-item Likert scale of personality traits. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 “Strongly Disagree” to 5 “Strongly Agree.” Participants’ scores on the IPIP NEO-60 Altruism scale were calculated by adding responses to “love to help others” and “am concerned about others;” scores on the Altruism scale range from 1-10, with 10 indicating increased levels of Altruism. During the first session, participants reported their core values and strengths. Results Participants’ ages ranged from 53 to 88 (mean age = 65.78). The majority identified as female (88.89%) and white, non-Hispanic or Latino (61.1%; 27.78% Black or African American; 5.5% American Indian or Alaska Native). Most participants were either currently married (50%) or divorced (38.89%). The majority of participants identified their religion as Protestant Christian (94.44%). Participants’ scores on the IPIP NEO-60 Altruism scale ranged from 7-10 (mean = 9.59), suggesting a universal endorsement of altruistic traits in the sample. Participants reported the following core values and strengths: compassion, friendly, devoted, honesty, faithfulness, forgiveness, loyalty, helpful, nurturer, god-fearing, and dependable. Conclusions The results of the current study suggest that older adults with hoarding disorder perceive themselves to be high on altruistic traits. Interventions that target avoidance due to altruistic values and behaviors may be beneficial in the treatment of hoarding disorder in older adults. Our sample was primarily older Christian women, who may experience societal expectations to ascribe to an altruistic framework of values. Future research should examine the possible interaction of gender and religious status when predicting altruism as a mechanism for the development and maintenance of hoarding symptoms. This research was funded by Research reported in this publication was supported by the American Psychological Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15MH127565. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the American Psychological Foundation or the National Institutes of Health. Altruism is defined as the provision of service to others without personal gain (Midlarsky & Kahana, 1994). Altruism has been associated with heightened psychological well-being (Dulin, & Hill, 2003; Krause, Herzog, & Baker, 1992), self-esteem (Krause & Shaw, 2000), social integration (Midlarsky, Kahana, & Corley 1986), personal meaning (Kuehne & Sears, 1993), and overall life-satisfaction (Dulin et al., 2001; Fengler, 1984), especially in older adults. Previous research suggests that older adults often demonstrate more charitable behaviors than do younger adults (Bekkers et al., 2011). Hoarding disorder is defined as having persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value of an object, which leads to an overwhelming accumulation of clutter (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is a lack of research dedicated to the association between hoarding disorder and altruism. Clinically, hoarding patients tend to report saving items to donate or gift to others; however, there is often a disconnect between the patient's intention of discarding an item through giving it away and their behavior of continuing to save the item. The purpose of this study is to examine the presence of altruistic values among older adults with hoarding disorder. This will further research on the underlying mechanisms of avoidance of discarding that maintains hoarding symptomology. Eighteen adults over the age of 50 enrolled in treatment studies for hoarding disorder in the Southeastern United States completed a baseline assessment that included the International Personality Item Pool – Neuroticism, Extraversion & Openness (IPIP-NEO 60; Soto & John, 2017) a 60-item Likert scale of personality traits. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 “Strongly Disagree” to 5 “Strongly Agree.” Participants’ scores on the IPIP NEO-60 Altruism scale were calculated by adding responses to “love to help others” and “am concerned about others;” scores on the Altruism scale range from 1-10, with 10 indicating increased levels of Altruism. During the first session, participants reported their core values and strengths. Participants’ ages ranged from 53 to 88 (mean age = 65.78). The majority identified as female (88.89%) and white, non-Hispanic or Latino (61.1%; 27.78% Black or African American; 5.5% American Indian or Alaska Native). Most participants were either currently married (50%) or divorced (38.89%). The majority of participants identified their religion as Protestant Christian (94.44%). Participants’ scores on the IPIP NEO-60 Altruism scale ranged from 7-10 (mean = 9.59), suggesting a universal endorsement of altruistic traits in the sample. Participants reported the following core values and strengths: compassion, friendly, devoted, honesty, faithfulness, forgiveness, loyalty, helpful, nurturer, god-fearing, and dependable. The results of the current study suggest that older adults with hoarding disorder perceive themselves to be high on altruistic traits. Interventions that target avoidance due to altruistic values and behaviors may be beneficial in the treatment of hoarding disorder in older adults. Our sample was primarily older Christian women, who may experience societal expectations to ascribe to an altruistic framework of values. Future research should examine the possible interaction of gender and religious status when predicting altruism as a mechanism for the development and maintenance of hoarding symptoms.