Hoarding in the Social World: Vulnerabilities and Interpersonal Processes
1 - (SYM 67) The Lasting Effects of Growing up in a Hoarded Home: Using Natural Language Processing to Examine the Experiences of Adult Children of Hoarding Parents
Sunday, November 23, 2025
2:06 PM - 2:27 PM CST
Location: Imperial 12, Level 4
Keywords: Hoarding, Change Process / Mechanisms, Stigma Recommended Readings: Chen, W., Denson, T. F., Timpano, K. R., Kocol, O., & Grisham, J. R. (2024). An investigation of the multifaceted components of anger and hoarding symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 222, 112582., Kocol, O., Sabel, I., Timpano, K. R., & Grisham, J. R. (2025). The significance of growing up in a hoarded home: using natural language processing to examine the experiences of adult children of hoarding parents on Reddit. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 100938., Bates, S., De Leonardis, A. J., Corrigan, P. W., & Chasson, G. S. (2020). Buried in stigma: experimental investigation of the impact of hoarding depictions in reality television on public perception. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 26, 100538., Chen, W., McDonald, S., Wearne, T., & Grisham, J. (2021). Investigating associations between hoarding symptoms and affective and cognitive empathy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60(2), 177-193.,
Professor University of Miami Miami, Florida, United States
Abstract Body
Background: Hoarding disorder profoundly impacts family members who witness the accumulated clutter and disorganization, including the adult children of individuals who hoard. Disagreement between family members and the patient on the severity of the hoarding issue can lead to tremendous strain in intrafamilial relationships. Complicating matters further are two additional considerations: (a) hoarding is familial and has a strong genetic component, and (b) adult children are often called upon to help resolve the issue of severe clutter by neighbours, other family members, or authorities. To date, only a handful of investigations have shed light on the adult children of individuals who hoard and subsequently very little is known. In this study we analysed Reddit discussions from two online communities for adult children of hoarding parents to gain insights into their lived experiences, support needs, and unique concerns.
Methods: Posts from the r/ChildofHoarder and r/ChildrenOfHoarders subreddits were extracted, covering submissions made over a 1-year period. A multi-pronged qualitative analysis approach was employed, including: 1) An open coding thematic analysis on a subset of posts to identify major themes and subthemes; 2) A closed-dictionary semantic analysis using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software; and 3) Topic modelling with unsupervised learning and neural embeddings. Results were compared against a reference dataset of Reddit discussions by children of parents with bipolar disorder.
Results: The closed-dictionary semantic and topic modelling analyses highlighted distinct linguistic patterns and topic clusters unique to the adult children of hoarding parents. The predominant type of post was characteristic of „vent“, which constituted extensive narratives sharing experiences, frustrations, and dilemmas. Additional posts reflected information seeking and efforts to find community. Topic modeling supported eleven main themes: unresolved past, present ramifications, hygiene and hazards, own hoarding tendencies, relationship conflict, small victories, crisis-related support, emotional triggers, psychoeducation, young adults escaping the cycle, and managing gifts and belongings.
Conclusion: This natural language processing analysis provides an in-depth understanding of the perspectives and experiences of those raised by parents with hoarding. Findings illustrate the extensive emotional, psychological, and practical impacts, along with struggles to cope and confront the disorder.
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