Object attachment and emotions in hoarding disorder

Background and aims Object attachment is a core feature of hoarding disorder (HD), but it also occurs in people without HD. It is therefore critical to clarify differences between normal and abnormal object attachment. Although previous studies show that HD is associated with high emotional reactivity, no study to date has examined the nature and intensity of discrete emotions in people with and without HD in relation to object attachment. Method Individuals with HD (n = 93) and matched controls (n = 93) were recruited via MTurk. They identified and described a possession of low monetary value that they were emotionally attached to and found difficult to discard. Participants rated their object attachment and the intensity of emotions when imagining being with the object (Scenario A) and irretrievably losing the same object (Scenario B). Results Unexpectedly, there were no significant between-group differences on object attachment; however, the HD group experienced more incongruent emotions about their possessions; they reported significantly higher disgust, anxiety and anger than controls when they imagined being with their chosen object (Scenario A) and were more relaxed compared to controls when the object was lost (Scenario B). There were no significant differences between groups on congruent emotions (i.e., positive emotions in Scenario A or negative emotions in Scenario B). Conclusion People with and without HD experience similar emotional attachment for sentimental items but people with HD experience more mixed emotions, consistent with an insecure object attachment

Synthesis and physico-chemical investigation of vanadium phosphorus oxide catalysts derived from VO(H2PO4)2

Vanadium phosphorus oxide catalysts were prepared via VO(H2P04)2 by using two methods: i) reaction of V204 with σ-H3P04 and ii) reduction of VOP04.2H2O with octan-3-ol. The precursors were calcined in n-butane/air mixture at 673 K for 75 h. These catalysts were characterised by using various techniques, such as BET surface area, XRD, FTIR and SEM

Object Attachment and the Compensatory Process in Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disorder (HD) is a highly disabling psychological disorder and although current treatments are effective, many individuals respond poorly or discontinue treatment prematurely. An obstacle to better outcomes is the strong emotional attachment that people with HD have for their possessions. This object attachment leads to a need to save items, triggers emotional distress when discarding objects, and perpetuates the avoidance of dealing with clutter. Thus, the aim of my PhD is to gain a better understanding of the nature and aetiology of object attachment in HD. I conducted several studies, which are presented in Chapters 2 to 7. I first examined the facets of object attachment and showed that insecure object attachment made a unique contribution to hoarding severity (Chapter 2). I then explored emotions associated with object attachment in people with and without HD. I found that people with HD have mixed emotions about their possessions, indicating the presence of an insecure object attachment (Chapter 3). Informed by attachment theory, I proposed that object attachment in HD is an attempt at compensating for unmet relatedness needs and that due to insecure object attachment in HD, the compensatory process does not truly satisfy these needs. I tested the compensatory process in Chapter 4 and as predicted, showed that loneliness was positively associated with HD, and that object attachment mediated the relationship between loneliness and hoarding. Following a critical review of the evidence for the compensatory process (Chapter 5), I conducted further studies to address gaps in the evidence and showed that people with HD reported extremely high rates of loneliness compared to controls and that loneliness was associated with hoarding even after accounting for depression (Chapter 6). Finally, I showed that reducing loneliness in people with high hoarding symptoms led to a decrease in object attachment for novel items relative to an active control, and that change in loneliness was associated with change in insecure object attachment (Chapter 7). My research contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the compensatory process in HD and indicates that reducing loneliness could lead to lower object attachment and better treatment outcomes

Perceived Parenting Style and Adolescent Self-Compassion : A Longitudinal, Within-Person Approach

Objectives: Caregiver responses are important in shaping how children, and later adolescents, engage in their own self-compassionate responding and uncompassionate self-responding. However, longitudinal research exploring the relationship between parenting style and adolescent self-compassion is limited. We examined the degree to which psychologically controlling and supportive parenting styles were linked to changes in compassionate self-responding (CSR) and uncompassionate self-responding (USR), both contemporaneously and longitudinally. We further explored the extent that any effects were heterogeneous: Does parenting influence self-compassion for some adolescents but not others? Method: We measured CSR, USR, parental support, and parental psychological control in a group of 2596 adolescents annually over 4 years (Grades 9 to 12 inclusive, Mages = 14.65 (T1) to 17.73 (T4) years). Results: The multi-level modelling analysis of individual relationships between parenting and self-compassion revealed relatively independent effects of perceived parenting on CSR and USR respectively. Individual changes in supportive parenting were more strongly associated with changes in CSR than with USR, and within-person changes in psychologically controlling parenting were more strongly associated with USR than with CSR. Further, the strength of these relationships was heterogeneous, with parenting having a larger effect on some than others. Longitudinally, controlling parenting predicted the development of USR. Conclusions: Overall, the link between parenting and adolescent self-compassion significantly varied, with some adolescents reporting a large change in self-compassion in years when parenting changed, and some reporting little to no change in self-compassion in years when parenting practices changed. The present study therefore highlights the importance of parenting in understanding self-compassion and the need for further research that seeks to identify factors that moderate the link between parenting and self-compassion

The association between OCD and shame : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Due to rumination and self-criticism over unwanted obsessions and repetitive rituals, shame is a common emotion experienced by individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Shame is also theorized to have relevance to unacceptable thoughts in OCD. However, empirical research looking at the relationship between OCD and shame is still emerging and findings have been mixed. Objectives Our review systematically examines the association of shame with OCD and unacceptable thoughts. Methods The last updated search was conducted across five databases between 27 and 29 February 2022. The final selection included 20 papers, 18 of which were used in the primary meta-analysis to calculate pooled effect sizes between OCD and shame measures using a random effects model. In a separate analysis, three papers were used to calculate pooled effect sizes between shame and OCD symptom dimensions also using a random effects model. Results The meta-analyses identified a significant, moderate and positive correlation between total OCD and shame scores r = .352, 95% CI [0.260, 0.438]. In addition, significant, weak and positive relationships were found between shame and three OCD symptom dimensions: unacceptable thoughts r = .252, 95% CI [−0.467, 0.9708], harm obsessions r = .224, CI [−0.190, 0.638] and symmetry concerns r = .200, CI [−0.108, 0.509]. Limitations Shame measures in the reviewed studies were not specific to OCD, and between-study variance in the analyses examining unacceptable thoughts was significant. Conclusions Our findings support a medium positive relationship between shame and OCD. As shame in OCD can be a barrier to seeking treatment and impair quality of life, it is imperative to address this emotion through psychoeducation, assessment and treatment

Letting go, creating meaning : The role of acceptance and commitment therapy in helping people confront existential concerns and lead a vital life

We all must confront existential crises such as sickness, death of loved ones, loss of job, mistreatment from others, and relationship breakdown. These crises can shatter our sense of meaning. How can we face that moment with honesty and courage, embrace the distress, and create new meaning? This chapter provides a theory of how language and self-awareness can lead us into existential crisis and loss of meaning. It then provides an evidence-based account of how the DNA-V model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help people to answer “Yes” to Camus’ most important philosophical question, “Is life worth living?”. ACT can help people recreate coherence after a coherence-shattering event, overcome alienation from the body, overcome inertia, overcome a sense of self that is self-destroying or feels “empty,” and bridge the gulf between self and others and create genuine connection

Embracing the complexity of our inner worlds : Understanding the dynamics of self-compassion and self-criticism [Commentary]

Objectives Although research in self-compassion has been rapidly growing, there is still substantial controversy about its meaning and measurement. The controversy centers on Neff’s popular Self- Compassion Scale (SCS) and the argument that compassionate self-responding (CSR) and uncompassionate self-responding (UCS) are a single dimension versus the argument that they are two semi-independent, unipolar dimensions, with UCS not reflective of “true” self-compassion. Methods We review the evidence for both positions and conclude that the data cannot yet resolve the debate. Results Neither position is proven to be right or wrong. We recommend the way forward is to let go of traditional factor analytic approaches and examine self-compassionate behavior as a dynamic network of interacting processes that are influenced by context. This leads us to three classes of testable hypotheses. The link between CS and UCS will depend on the timeframe of measurement, current circumstances, and individual differences. Conclusions We propose a middle ground to the SCS debate; rather than supporting the single total score, 2-factor score (CSR and UCS) or the 6-factor score (the six subscales of the SCS), we argue these constructs interact dynamically, and the decision of which scoring method to use should depend on the three testable contextual hypotheses

An online experimental test of the compensatory process in hoarding disorder : reducing loneliness and its effects on object attachment

Attachment theory suggests that strong object attachment in hoarding disorder (HD) may be due to an attempt at compensating for unmet relatedness needs. We tested this compensatory process with an online experiment and hypothesized that reducing loneliness among participants with high hoarding symptoms would result in lower object attachment, and that change in loneliness would mediate the impact of an online loneliness intervention on object attachment. A pretest-posttest control group design was used. Participants were 298 MTurk workers pre-screened for high hoarding symptoms recruited via cloudresearch.com. At Time 1, participants completed measures of hoarding severity, loneliness, and four aspects of object attachment: overall object attachment to possessions, insecure object attachment, attachment to an old cherished item, and attachment to a novel item. We randomly assigned participants to either a loneliness intervention (n = 142) or an active control (a health education program; n = 156). All participants completed follow-up questionnaires after two weeks. We conducted ANCOVAs to assess for group differences at Time 2 whilst controlling for Time 1 variables. Results showed small but significant improvements in loneliness, thwarted belongingness, and object attachment for the novel item for participants who received the loneliness intervention relative to control participants. Mediational analyses revealed that the change in loneliness mediated the effect of the intervention on insecure object attachment. Consistent with attachment theory, these results indicate that reducing loneliness might lead to lower object attachment in hoarding disorder. Trials with clinical participants using more intensive loneliness interventions are warranted

Understanding the behavioral intention to use SaaS ERP sub-modules considering perceived enjoyment, perceived anxiety and perceived system performance

The use of cloud solution to support Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system has become the priority of many organizations to stay competitive in the current global world. This research will be focusing on the behavioral intention among the employees to use Software as a Service (SaaS) ERP sub-modules in a global construction tool provider considering perceived enjoyment, anxiety and system performance. The objective of this research is to analyze and investigate the employees’ behavioral intention to use SaaS ERP sub-modules in the construction tool provider companies considering these unique variables and predictors. The findings of this research can assist and support both organizations and researchers to build a fundamental level on understanding how these variables can predict the user behavioral intention to use SaaS ERP sub-modules in a global construction tool provider company which significantly beneficial. 250 users ranging from executive and higher management level globally were targeted in 25 countries. A statistical tool will be used to analyze respondents’ data and structural equation modelling will be used to analyses the responses and the relation of each hypothesis. The hypothesis will be tested based on the data consolidated

Gender differences in self-compassion: a latent profile analysis of compassionate and uncompassionate self-relating in a large adolescent sample

Self-compassion, a healthy way of relating to oneself, may promote psychological resilience during adolescence. How adolescents engage with self-compassion, and whether they have distinct self-compassionate or uncompassionate psychological profiles, is unclear. This study investigated potential self-compassion profiles based on responses to the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS-SF) and examined their relationship with a range of mental health symptoms and cognitive and emotional tendencies. A large cross-sectional sample of high school students (N = 950; Mage = 13.70 years, SDage = 0.72, range = 12 to 16 years; 434 female and 495 male) completed several online self-report measures including the SCS-SF. Latent profile analysis identified parsimonious self-compassion profiles by gender using the six SCS-SF subscales. Five female profiles included ‘Low Self-Relating’, ‘Uncompassionate’, ‘High Self-Relating’, ‘Moderately Compassionate’ and ‘Highly Compassionate’. Comparatively, two male profiles included ‘Low Self-Relating’ and ‘Moderately Self-Relating’. Low Self-Relating involved low levels of both compassionate and uncompassionate responding, and Moderately Self-Relating involved higher levels of both. Low Self-Relating and Highly Compassionate profiles for females consistently reported lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms, maladaptive perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, repetitive thinking and avoidance-fusion thinking patterns compared to the other female profiles. Low Self-Relating males reported more adaptive outcomes compared to Moderate Self-Relating males. These findings illustrate important adolescent gender differences in compassionate and uncompassionate self-response profiles. Results suggest self-compassion is an important psychological construct with diverse mental health benefits for females, whereas for males a lack of attachment to either response styles are linked with better psychological outcomes