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A Spanish Translation of the Hoarding Rating Scale: Differential Item Functioning and Convergent Validity

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Abstract

Hoarding disorder (HD) involves extreme difficulties discarding possessions and significant clutter in living areas. Although hoarding occurs worldwide, cross-cultural research remains in nascent stages, hampered in part by a lack of validated measures in non-English languages. We aimed to validate a Spanish translation of the Hoarding Rating Scale (HRS), a widely used measure of core HD symptoms. Our sample (N = 736) included participants responding in English (n = 548; 45.4% female; 7.9% Latinx) or Spanish (n = 188; 46.3% female; 79.9% Latinx) to questionnaires via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. An item response theory (IRT) approach was used to test differential item functioning (DIF) of the English and Spanish HRS. We also examined convergent validity of each language version with other HD. Initial comparisons revealed that hoarding symptoms were elevated in the Spanish-speaking sample compared to the English-speaking sample. DIF tests flagged the clutter item for potential bias (McFadden’s β = .069), but closer examination revealed that the impact was negligible. The Spanish HRS was significantly linked with other hoarding measures (Saving Inventory-Revised: β = .497, p < .001; Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory-Revised–Hoarding Subscale: β = .329, p = .008), controlling for mood, anxiety, stress, and non-hoarding OCD symptoms. However, the Spanish HRS was not significantly associated with Clutter Image Rating scores. Findings supported the utility of the HRS to measure of HD symptoms in Spanish speakers, though cross-linguistic assessment of clutter and the applicability of clinical cutoffs with Spanish-speaking samples merits further study.

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Funding

The authors did not receive financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Caitlin A. Stamatis & Kiara R. Timpano

  2. Department of Psychiatry, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Caitlin A. Stamatis

  3. School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Jordana Muroff

  4. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Elizabeth S. Bocanegra

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Carolyn I. Rodriguez

  6. Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Carolyn I. Rodriguez

Authors
  1. Caitlin A. Stamatis
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Contributions

As first and senior authors, respectively, CS and KT took the lead in conceptualizing and writing the manuscript. CS, JM, EB, CR, and KT all played roles in the design and implementation of the research study. EB, CS, and KT were responsible for data collection, and CS conducted the primary statistical analyses in the manuscript. All authors played a role in the management and security of study data. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kiara R. Timpano.

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Experiment Participants

All study procedures were approved by the University of Miami Institutional Review Board, and all participants provided informed consent.

Conflicts of Interest

Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez has served as a consultant for Allergan, BlackThorn Therapeutics, Rugen Therapeutics, and Epiodyne, receives research grant support from Biohaven Inc., and a stipend from APA Publishing for her role as Deputy Editor at The American Journal of Psychiatry. Caitlin A. Stamatis, Jordana Muroff, Elizabeth S. Bocanegra, and Kiara R. Timpano declare that they have no financial or other relationships relevant to the subject of this manuscript.

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Appendix

Appendix

Escala De La Acumulación (EDLA)

Las siguientes 5 preguntas son sobre su experiencia con la acumulación compulsiva de objetos. Por favor, responda las preguntas con respecto a su experiencia en la SEMANA PASADA.

  1. 1.

    Debido al desorden (desorganización y amontonamiento) de sus cosas o a la cantidad de cosas que tiene, ¿qué tan difícil es para usted usar las habitaciones en su casa?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Nada difícil

 

Levemente difícil

 

Moderadamente difícil

 

Muy difícil

 

Extremadamente difícil

  1. 2.

    ¿Qué tan difícil se le hace botar (deshacerse, reciclar, vender, regalar) cosas comunes que otras personas botarían?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Nada difícil

 

Levemente difícil

 

Moderadamente difícil

 

Muy difícil

 

Extremadamente difícil

  1. 3.

    ¿Actualmente, qué tanto problema tiene recolectando cosas gratuitas o comprando más cosas de las que necesita o puede usar o pagar? [Use la escala a continuación.]

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Ningún problema

 

Problema leve

 

Problema moderado

 

Mucho problema

 

Problema extremo

  1. 0 = ningún problema
  2. 2 = problema leve, en ocasiones (menos de una vez a la semana) adquiero o compro cosas no necesarias, o adquiero pocas cosas innecesarias
  3. 4 = problema moderado, regularmente (una o dos veces por semana) adquiero o compro osas no necesarias, o adquiero algunas cosas innecesarias
  4. 6 = mucho problema, frecuentemente (varias veces por semana) adquiero o compro cosas no necesarias, o adquiero muchas cosas innecesarias
  5. 8 = problema extremo, muy frecuente (diariamente) adquiero o compro cosas no necesarias, o adquiero un gran número de cosas innecesarias
  1. 4.

    ¿Hasta qué punto tiene usted angustia debido al reguero (desorden y amontonamiento) de sus cosas, o a la dificultad de botar (desechar) cosas o al problema de comprar o adquirir cosas?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Nada

 

Angustia leve

 

Angustia moderada

 

Mucha angustia

 

Angustia extrema

  1. 5.

    ¿Hasta qué punto se afecta su vida (rutina diaria, trabajo/escuela, actividades sociales, actividades familiares, dificultades económicas) debido al reguero (desorden y amontonamiento) de sus cosas, a la dificultad para botarlas (desecharlas) o al problema de comprar o adquirir cosas?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Nada

 

Levemente afectada

 

Moderadamente afectada

 

Muy afectada

 

Extremadamente afectada

  1. Findings support the utility of the EDLA (Escala de la acumulación) to measure hoarding disorder symptoms in Spanish-speaking samples; however, caution is warranted in applying clinical cutoffs derived from English-speaking samples. Additional research is recommended to confirm the appropriateness of the cutoff of >  = 14 for Spanish-speaking populations

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Stamatis, C.A., Muroff, J., Bocanegra, E.S. et al. A Spanish Translation of the Hoarding Rating Scale: Differential Item Functioning and Convergent Validity. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 43, 946–959 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09894-z

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