The Relationship of Hoarding Symptoms to Schizotypal Personality and Cognitive Schemas in an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Sample

This study examined hoarding symptoms and schizotypal personality traits (SPTs) in 38 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and explored early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) as partial mediators between hoarding symptoms and schizotypal traits in OCD. Hoarding and symmetry/ordering symptoms were correlated with total schizotypal score on the Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4). Hoarding predicted the total number of schizotypal traits on the PDQ-4 after adjusting for symmetry/ordering symptoms. Schizotypal traits but not hoarding symptoms were significantly correlated with the social isolation and mistrust/abuse schemas. Schizotypal traits and hoarding were both associated with the emotional inhibition and emotional deprivation schemas, but neither of these mediated the relationship between schizotypal traits and hoarding. Clinical implications for understanding and treating hoarding and schizotypal personality in OCD are discussed.