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 working groups, their frequency as PIs at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis is now comparable to the national frequencies in biology and they are now equally qualified, in terms of their impact on the accumulation of ecological knowledge (as measured by the h-index). While women continue to be underrepresented as working group participants, peer-reviewed publications with gender-heterogeneous authorship teams received 34% more citations than publications produced by gender-uniform authorship teams. This suggests that peers citing these publications perceive publications that also happen to have gender-heterogeneous authorship teams as higher quality than publications with gender uniform authorship teams. Promoting diversity not only promotes representation and fairness but may lead to higher quality science.

Objectives-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.Method-Eighty-two older adults with HD provided retrospective ratings of their hoarding symptoms for each decade of life. Age of onset of symptoms (saving, difficulty discarding, and clutter) was operationalized as the first decade in which the participant reported at least minor symptom severity, and age of onset for possible HD diagnosis was operationalized as the first decade in which the participant reported all three symptoms. We used mixed effects modeling to examine the progression of HD symptoms.Results-The median age of onset for symptoms was between 10 and 20 years, and the median age of onset for possible HD diagnosis was between 20 and 30 years. Twenty-three percent of participants reported onset of possible HD diagnosis after the age of 40. All HD symptoms increased in severity over time. Men reported higher initial clutter and a slower increase in hoarding severity for all symptoms. Increased education was associated with slower increase in saving. Having at least one parent with hoarding tendencies was associated with higher initial hoarding symptoms.Conclusion-Generally, symptoms of HD begin relatively early and worsen across the lifespan. However, approximately one fourth of older adults with HD reported a possible onset after the age of 40.

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

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 working groups, their frequency as PIs at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis is now comparable to the national frequencies in biology and they are now equally qualified, in terms of their impact on the accumulation of ecological knowledge (as measured by the h-index). While women continue to be underrepresented as working group participants, peer-reviewed publications with gender-heterogeneous authorship teams received 34% more citations than publications produced by gender-uniform authorship teams. This suggests that peers citing these publications perceive publications that also happen to have gender-heterogeneous authorship teams as higher quality than publications with gender uniform authorship teams. Promoting diversity not only promotes representation and fairness but may lead to higher quality science.

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 SIR and to examine the functioning of the SIR as a screening tool and indicator of hoarding symptom severity across the lifespan. Methods: This study used archival data from 1,116 participants diagnosed with a clinical interview in 14 studies conducted by research groups who focus on hoarding. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and the Youden's Jstatistic to determine optimal cutoff scores for classifying participants who would be likely to receive a hoarding diagnosis. Results: Overall, the discriminant performance of the SIR Total score and each of the three subscales was high, confirming the status of the SIR is an excellent screening tool for differentiating hoarding from non-hoarding cases. The optimal SIR Total cutoff score is 39, although analyses suggested that older adults require a significantly lower cutoff and adults younger than 40 years require a significantly higher cutoff score. Limitations: The confidence interval around the optimal cutoff for the SIR Total score for oldest age group was wide in comparison to those reported for the younger groups, creating more uncertainty around the optimal cutoff score for this group. Conclusions: This paper provides investigators and clinicians with the data necessary to select evidence-based cutoff scores on the SIR that optimally suit their relative need for sensitivity and specificity in different age groups.

Given that the AAQ-II and Self-Distraction and Behavioral Disengagement subscales were not correlated, these findings suggest that experiential and behavioral avoidance are two distinct processes contributing to the severity of specific HD. Results support the utility of avoidance in the cognitive-behavioral model for HD.

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 symptoms. However, there is currently a dearth of information on performance of the CIR in older adults diagnosed with hoarding disorder (HD). Because older adults have increased medical issues, including fall risks, evaluating the level of clutter in the house is especially critical in geriatric populations.

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