Page No 362-372 Rekha Rashmi, Ananya Pragyan Roy Sharma, Vineeta Pattnaik and
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Pratima Kumari Mishra
Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
This study aims to understand the realities of hoarders in India who have experienced
significant material deprivation in their early childhood during the post-independence
period. Using a convenience sampling method, ten adults in the age group of 45-82
years from Bhubaneswar, India, were included as part of the sample. Thematic analysis
of the in-depth interviews conducted led to overarching themes which include deprivation
experienced during the early childhood years, parental pressure to value things and
not waste them, the perception that less is more, the struggle to make ends meet, the
acquired habit of storing items, the urge and the anxiety associated with working hard
to amass material wealth and hoarding materials despite better economic conditions.
This study has implications for mental health professionals in understanding hoarding
behaviour in the Indian context.