Childhood environment, sense of control and hoarding among Chinese college students

Research on the mechanisms underlying the association of childhood environmental factors and hoarding is somewhat limited, especially in the Chinese population. Moreover, given that the Chinese generally appreciate storing and saving, the antecedents and mechanism of hoarding among this population are worthy of exploring. The current study was designed to examine whether a sense of control mediates these links. A total of 985 university students (Mage = 19.21, SD = 1.14; 532 women) completed measures of hoarding, sense of control, and childhood environment. SEM revealed that the childhood environment affected hoarding both directly and indirectly, that is, childhood environmental harshness, warmth and safeness related to hoarding through sense of control. Generally, these associations exhibited invariance across gender, age and family income, except for subjective socioeconomic status (SES). In conclusion, the current study confirmed the relationship between hoarding, ecological factors, and psychological factors. Limitations and future research suggestions were also discussed.