Development of a short and an ultra-brief version of the Saving Inventory-revised (SI-R) for assessing hoarding severity: The SI-R9 and the SI-R3

Abstract

Hoarding Disorder (HD) is marked by the inability to discard possessions, and often excessive acquiring, which results in cluttered living spaces that substantially disrupt daily life. While the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R) serves as a reliable and valid tool for assessing hoarding severity, its length may preclude routine use. We aimed to develop a valid shorter version of the scale using Item Response Theory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a non-selected sample of 2890 individuals and a clinical HD sample of 200 participants, which were divided into test and confirmatory samples in a 2:1 ratio. This led to a 9-item SI-R9, containing the original three subscales of discarding, clutter and acquiring; and an ultra-brief 3-item scale, the SI-R3. The original and revised versions demonstrated construct, convergent, and divergent validity. Significant gender differential was noted on some items, particularly those from the full SI-R, but was small in nature. Clinical cut-offs for all three scales showed good sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, the SI-R3 and SI-R9 were successfully developed from the original scale, we hope that clinicians and researchers will benefit from reduced administration time, improved compliance, and more cost-effectiveness, and this will lead to greater use in clinical and research settings.