The role of self-reported emotional regulation strategies in hoarding behaviours in a non-clinical adult sample

Emotion regulation (ER) is implicated in various psychiatric conditions and individuals displaying hoarding behaviours report difficulties in their ER strategies. However, research has only focussed only putatively maladaptive ER strategies, and has not controlled for comorbid anxiety and depression. This study investigated whether difficulties in putatively maladaptive and putatively adaptive ER strategies are linked with hoarding behaviours in a non-clinical sample, whilst controlling for anxiety and depression. A cross-sectional online survey recruited 136 participants who answered questionnaires about their hoarding behaviours and cognitions, emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, and positive and negative affect. A hierarchical regression found that after controlling for anxiety, depression, and current affect, increases in hoarding behaviours were linked with increased difficulties with ER, but not significantly linked with the use of putatively maladaptive and putatively adaptive ER strategies. Future research is still needed to fully understand the cognitive mechanisms, such as executive function, underpinning the relationship between ER and HD as this relationship may have therapeutic implications.