Evaluation of the psychometric properties of a Semi- structured Hoarding Rating Scale-Interview (HRS-I) in a Clinical Sample

A valid and reliable tool for independent clinical evaluation of hoarding disorder (HD) seems to be necessary. The purpose of this paper was to assess the psychometric properties of a semi-structured diagnostic interview of HD in a clinical sample.
In this standardization study, 122 individuals including 34 patients with a principal diagnosis of HD and 38 patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (without HD) from seeking treatment services at military hospital and clinics in Shiraz city and 50 normal army personnel were purposefully selected and administered to complete the research questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), discriminant analysis, Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability with SPSS and AMOS Graphics software.
The findings of the survey showed that internal consistency (Cronbach's α) of the Hoarding Rating Scale-Interview (HRS-I) was high, α = 0.803 and inter-item correlations ranged from 0.65-0.79. The correlation coefficients for assessment of the test-retest reliability (an interval of two weeks) were appropriate. The results of CFA to obtain the construct validity indicated that all five items showed high factor loading with the total score. Discriminant analysis revealed the Discriminant validity of the HRS-I for significant differentiation between the hoarding and non-hoarding participants. A total score of 17 was obtained as a potential cut-off point.
HRS-I is a valid and reliable tool for using in Iranian clinical settings. This scale can be used in clinical screening, assessment and diagnosis, measurement of response to treatment, and estimation of the prevalence of HD in the normal population.