Mary E Dozier

Mary E Dozier
Mississippi State University | MSU · Department of Psychology

Ph.D.

About

78
Publications
9,866
Reads
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1,149
Citations
Introduction
If you are interested in working with me, as an undergraduate or as a doctoral student, please email me at maryedozier@psychology.msstate.edu Information about the MSU doctoral program and application process can be found here: https://www.psychology.msstate.edu/graduate/clinical-psychology/applicants/
Education
August 2013 - September 2019
San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
Field of study
  • Clinical Psychology

Publications

Publications (78)
Article
Objective: Hoarding disorder is a chronic and progressive psychiatric disorder that often begins in adolescence and early adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of hoarding severity on college students' psychosocial functioning and possible methods of early intervention. Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 363) at...
Article
Objectives: The primary purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel brief (six-session) motivational interviewing home-based intervention for hoarding disorder designed for rural older adults. The secondary aims were to examine the engagement of proposed mechanisms of change and the preliminary efficac...
Article
Full-text available
Working alliance is of particular importance in the treatment of hoarding due to high levels of stigma surrounding the diagnosis and low levels of insight in patients. Furthermore, clinician experiences of frustration when treating individuals with hoarding disorder may be a barrier to creating the necessary working alliance. However, evaluation of...
Article
The current study investigated the associations among probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), recent Veterans Health Administration (VHA) health care use, and care-seeking for PTSD in U.S. military veterans. Analyses were conducted among 19,691 active duty military personnel enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Study who separated from the mili...
Article
Objective Families of individuals with hoarding symptoms report substantial burden; however, there has been no investigation of potential positive experiences. The objective of this study was to examine the experiences reported by individuals with a relative with elevated hoarding symptoms using a cross‐sectional design. The current investigation e...
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Excessive levels of household clutter can increase fall risk and subsequently prevent older adults from living independently. This may be a particular concern for rural-dwelling older adults, who are likely to have a stronger sense of connection with their physical location. This talk will present data from a comprehensive baseline assessment admin...
Article
Objective: Although research on animal hoarding, both in urban and rural settings, is growing, a gap remains in the literature about community patterns of animal ownership. Our objective was to determine patterns of companion animal ownership in a rural setting and the association between number of animals in a household and indicators of animal h...
Article
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Symptoms of hoarding disorder, such as significant household clutter, difficulty discarding, and excessive acquisition tend to increase in later life. With many challenges involved in aging in place, older adults may be particularly vulnerable to adverse events occurring while living with excessive clutter (e.g., fall risk, sanitation issues). Ther...
Article
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The act of sorting and discarding possessions is the fundamental health behavior that underlies clutter, a core symptom and signifier of hoarding disorder. In older adults, excessive clutter can cause hazardous conditions in the home that increase the risk of being unable to age in place safely. Current evidence-based treatments for hoarding requir...
Article
Objectives: Hoarding disorder can create long-term problems for adult children of individuals with hoarding symptoms; however, the extent of the psychosocial consequences of growing up in a cluttered household are not yet fully understood. This study investigated the extent to which generational clutter (i.e., parent/caregiver and grandparent) inf...
Article
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Current literature on hoarding disorder has been limited to urban areas. This article represents the first depiction of the clinical presentation of hoarding disorder in rural-dwelling older adults. A summary of the quantitative data and qualitative notes from comprehensive assessments with eight older adults living in rural Mississippi is presente...
Article
Purpose of review: Hoarding is a behavior that occurs across a variety of disorders, including hoarding disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. Hoarding is also a normative human behavior within certain contexts, including the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, when individuals became panicked about the availabilit...
Article
Objectives: The goal of the current investigation was to expand on previous work on reasons for saving/discarding in the context of hoarding by examining individuals' perceived locus of control for household clutter. Methods: Participants were asked to list their perceived reasons for clutter and assign each reason a percentage rating reflecting...
Article
Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST) is a promising treatment for hoarding disorder (HD) that incorporates exposure for sorting with compensatory cognitive training (CCT) tailored to reduce cognitive difficulties associated with hoarding. A randomized controlled trial of CREST found it to be favorable to case management for...
Article
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There has been limited research on geriatric hoarding disorder in rural areas. Older adults living in rural areas are more likely to feel stigmatized due to mental health difficulties and to have multiple barriers to healthcare. The purpose of this study is to present the clinical picture of eight older adults (mean age 68, range 57-92) with hoardi...
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Previous research suggests older adults with hoarding disorder are more likely to express non-fear-based emotions when sorting. The purpose of this study was to examine the emotions expressed by eight rural-dwelling older adults with hoarding disorder when sorting and discarding possessions. The study took place in participants’ homes and involved...
Article
The purpose of this program evaluation was to investigate the effectiveness of a 10-day, group-based recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program (RIOP) offered at a VA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center in South Texas. The RIOP utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to treatment of veterans with acute mental health concerns, bridging...
Article
Sleep problems are associated with many different forms of psychopathology in late life; however, there is currently a gap in the literature on the association between sleep quality and hoarding in older adults. This secondary data analysis of 40 older adults with hoarding disorder examined the association between sleep and hoarding, change in slee...
Article
Extreme object attachment in adults can form as a way to compensate for a lack of interpersonal attachment or as a symptom of hoarding disorder; however, normative levels of object attachment also exist across the lifespan. Although the importance of secure interpersonal attachment as a protective factor for older adults has been well established,...
Article
Background: Prior research has demonstrated a link between compulsive hoarding symptoms and personality traits; however, no studies have investigated the link between hoarding and personality traits utilizing a sample of individuals diagnosed with hoarding disorder (HD) using formal diagnostic criteria. The aim of the current study was to evaluate...
Article
Hoarding is associated with problems engaging in social activities, lower social support, increased isolation and poses substantial challenges to family functioning. The aim of this investigation was to explore the relationship between hoarding severity and family and social functioning variables in 60 treatment-seeking adults with hoarding disorde...
Article
Objectives: Hoarding disorder (HD) is conceptualized as a fear-based disorder and exposure to sorting/discarding possessions is a core part of treatment. However, there has been no investigation of age-related differences in emotional reaction to sorting. The objective of this study was to explore the association between age and affective response...
Article
Objectives The objective of this paper was to examine the implementation and effectiveness of a community-based intervention for hoarding disorder (HD) using Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST). Design This was a mixed-method, pre-post quasi-experimental study informed by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainab...
Article
Full-text available
Sleep is an often overlooked health factor, particularly in older adults. Sleep disturbance is associated with increased functional impairment as well as poorer cognitive, mental, and physical health trajectories. Understanding the clinical impact of disturbed sleep, and the optimal targets for intervention, is critical for the promotion of health...
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Hoarding disorder in late life has been associated with increased risk for medical conditions and decreased ability to perform activities of daily living in the home; however, no studies have yet examined the relationship between geriatric hoarding and sleep. This study represents a secondary data analysis of older adults who received 26 sessions o...
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Objective The Stroop Color and Word Test is a well-known measure of executive functioning. The aim of this study is to determine if Stroop performance is impacted by bilingualism. Method A clinic-referred sample of veterans (n = 245; Mage = 55.84; Medu = 13.87) in whom a cognitive disorder diagnosis was ruled out were selected for inclusion. Parti...
Article
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Purpose of Review The purpose of the following paper is to review recent literature trends and findings in hoarding disorder (HD). Our goal is to highlight recent research on etiology, associated features, and empirically based treatments. Recent Findings Recent literature has added support for cognitive differences as a risk factor for HD; howeve...
Article
While a number of hoarding disorder-specific therapeutic interventions have been developed over recent years, hoarding disorder (HD) remains difficult to treat. The purpose of this investigation is to inform HD treatment efforts by examining factors that influence treatment attrition and treatment response. Secondary data analysis of baseline and p...
Article
Objectives: Hoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by urges to save items, difficulty discarding possessions, and excessive clutter and has been associated with executive functioning deficits. A randomized controlled trial comparing Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST) with a care management control condition demonstrated...
Article
Previous research has identified disparities in mental health service utilization between Latinos and non-Latino Whites. This study aimed to examine patterns of mental health service utilization between Latino and non-Latino White post-9/11 war veterans (N = 740) enrolling for healthcare at the Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and to ide...
Article
Background: The Saving Inventory - Revised (SI-R) is the most widely used self-report measure of hoarding symptom severity. The goal of this study is to establish a firm empirical basis for a cutoff score on the SI-R and to examine the functioning of the SI-R as a screening tool and indicator of hoarding symptom severity across the lifespan. Meth...
Article
This study describes 17 publicly available cases of animal hoarding, a special manifestation of hoarding disorder. The cases, which included court documents, animal service documents, photographs, and newspaper clippings, were reviewed by Masters-level clinicians and a veterinarian in private practice. The veterinarian rated the animals in the case...
Article
Hoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by urges to save items, difficulty discarding, and excessive household clutter. Older adults with HD often experience cognitive and functional impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-reported “helpfulness” of the cognitive remediation components of an individual treatment for HD and...
Article
Full-text available
Hoarding disorder (HD) involves urges to save items, difficulty discarding, and excessive clutter. Hoarding symptoms onset early, but may be more common in older adults. HD in late life often co-occurs with depressive symptoms and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The current study examined demographic characteristics and hoarding symptoms in older...
Article
Background: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been proposed as a transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factor underlying various forms of psychopathology. Few studies, however, have examined IU in hoarding disorder (HD)-a condition characterized by excessive urges to acquire and difficulties discarding possessions-core symptoms that may be fueled...
Article
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Background: Because Veterans have higher rates of mental health conditions and both physical and mental health comorbidities are known to affect treatment outcomes, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the rates of risk factors for poor hoarding treatment outcomes between Veterans and non-Veterans with hoarding disorder (HD). This is t...
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While cognitive-behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder (HD) has resulted in significant reductions in symptoms, most individuals continue to have significant hoarding symptoms following treatment. This investigation sought to extend the literature on the behavioral treatments for hoarding by examining (1) group cognitive rehabilitation and exposu...
Article
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A defining feature of hoarding disorder (HD) is excessive attachment to possessions. Several existing self-report measures assess emotional attachment to items but do not explicitly assess the level of interconnectedness between the individual and their items. The current study investigated a new self-report measure of object attachment based on a...
Article
This article will review the evidence of various proposed factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of hoarding disorder (HD). Data suggests that hoarding is a chronic condition that starts early in life and does not remit if left untreated. There is emerging evidence that a number of factors contribute to the expression of HD symptoms,...
Article
Hoarding disorder (HD) is functionally and cognitively debilitating, as well as socially isolating, particularly in older adults. There is strong avoidance to the distress of parting with personal possessions in HD. The current study explored the feasibility of a behavioral avoidance task (BAT) for HD by utilizing subjective and behavioral assessme...
Chapter
This chapter presents the current evidence about the symptoms and features of hoarding disorder (HD). When diagnosing HD, it is necessary to rule out any potential medical causes of the hoarding symptoms, such as a brain lesion. Lesions to the anterior ventromedial prefrontal and cingulate cortices have been linked to hoarding symptoms in case stud...
Chapter
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent unwanted thoughts (i.e., obsessions) and consequent repetitive behaviors (i.e., compulsions). The causes and prevalence of chronic and late-onset OCD may be different in older adults, as well as intervention strategies. The estimates of prevalence of OCD in late life do not include i...
Article
Objective: To compare the efficacy of Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST) with geriatric case management (CM) in a sample of older adults meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder (HD). Methods: Fifty-eight older adults with HD were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial between December 2011 and March...
Article
Objective: The extant research on animal hoarding has a dearth of information on animal hoarding tendencies in adults diagnosed with hoarding disorder (HD). In the present study, we investigated possible recurrent animal hoarding behavioral and symptom patterns in individuals diagnosed with hoarding disorder. Methods: Hoarding severity scores fr...
Article
Objectives: Hoarding disorder (HD) is a chronic condition characterized by severe impairment in health and functioning for older adults. Researchers and clinicians commonly use the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R), a self-report measure validated for the assessment of HD, to establish symptom severity. This study represents the first evaluation of t...
Article
Objective: Given the increase in hoarding symptoms with age, there is a pressing need for understanding the clinical features as they relate to potential interventions for older adults with hoarding disorder (HD). The aim of the current investigation was to explore age-related differences in the level of functional and cognitive impairment in indi...
Chapter
Late-life obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) prevalence rates are significant, with up to 1.5% of adults aged 65 and over meeting OCD criteria. The presentation of OCD in older adults is often different from that in younger adults. Antidepressants are the drug treatment of choice for late-life OCD; however, Exposure and Response Prevention, a type...
Chapter
Animal hoarding is considered a manifestation of hoarding disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5). This chapter reviews the known characteristics of this manifestation, the epidemiology of animal hoarding, and what is known about the psychiatric status of those who meet criteri...
Article
Objectives: The current investigation utilized mid-life and late-life participants diagnosed with hoarding disorder (HD) to explore the relationship between executive functioning and hoarding severity. Design: Correlational analyses were used to investigate the associations between executive functioning and hoarding severity in nondemented parti...
Article
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This study describes the initial contact of 255 potential participants, recruitment of 63 participants, and retention of 57 participants from three geriatric Hoarding Disorder (HD) studies. Patients with HD were easily recruited from the community, primarily through the use of clinician referrals and posted flyers, as evidenced by steady patient fl...
Article
We investigated (1) age of onset of hoarding disorder (HD) symptoms and diagnosis, (2) late-onset HD, (3) progression of HD symptoms, and (4) association between demographics and hoarding progression. Eighty-two older adults with HD provided retrospective ratings of their hoarding symptoms for each decade of life. Age of onset of symptoms (saving,...
Article
Effective management of Hoarding Disorder (HD) must begin with assessment of the severity of hoarding symptoms and functional impairment. We sought to validate the UCLA Hoarding Severity Scale (UHSS), a semi-structured, clinician-administered rating scale that measures the severity of both the core symptoms of HD and the associated features of inde...
Article
Background: The Clutter Image Rating (CIR) was created to meet a gap in the research on compulsive hoarding: how to ascertain clutter level in an individual's home without a home visit, as not all clinicians have the ability to conduct a home visit. The CIR has proven itself to be both reliable and valid for use in adults with compulsive hoarding s...
Article
Background: The recent addition of hoarding disorder (HD) to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th edition, has highlighted the dearth of information about the demographic, sociologic, and medical predictors of HD severity, particularly in older adults. Although there have been several previous studies examining the...
Article
Few studies to date have studied the particular reasons endorsed by individuals with hoarding disorder (HD) for why they save or acquire certain objects. Understanding how reasons for saving and acquiring objects influence hoarding severity and the degree to which the relationship depends on gender or age differences can have implications for the t...
Article
Full-text available
Objective: Hoarding disorder (HD) is a chronic condition associated with moderate to severe impairment in health and functioning. HD has been primarily studied in midlife adults, and there is limited research on HD in late life. Methods: In this review, we summarize research on the presentation and characteristics of HD and hoarding symptoms in...
Article
This study examined the relationship between experiential and behavioral avoidance and hoarding symptom severity, controlling for anxiety and depression symptoms, in 66 adult individuals (M age = 61.41; SD = 9.03) with HD. Hierarchical regression was used to test the associations between hoarding severity, as defined by the Savings Inventory-Revise...
Article
Full-text available
Hoarding Disorder (HD) is a chronic condition associated with moderate to severe impairment in health and functioning. HD has been primarily studied in midlife adults, and there is limited research on HD in late life. In this review, we summarize research on the presentation and characteristics of HD and hoarding symptoms in older adults, including...
Article
Reviews the video, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Late-Life Depression by Dolores Gallagher-Thompson (2013). This video illustrates how to deliver a session of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for geriatric depression. It includes an introduction to the techniques that are commonly used in CBT for older adults, followed by a sample session of t...
Article
Full-text available
Here we present the first empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that a gender-heterogeneous problem-solving team generally produced journal articles perceived to be higher quality by peers than a team comprised of highly-performing individuals of the same gender. Although women were historically underrepresented as principal investigators of...
Conference Paper
Background/Question/Methods: Historically, differences in aptitude rather than discrimination have been attributed to women’s failure to advance in scientific careers. The persistent underrepresentation of women in academic science has been attributed to their reduced productivity and gender discrimination among other factors. In part, gender dis...

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