Aging minds, unruly behaviors: Understanding Impulsive Compulsive Behaviors (ICBs) in Older Adults.

This study builds on earlier research regarding Impulsive Compulsive Behaviors (ICBs). ICBs refer to difficulties in resisting the urge to engage in reward-based behaviors, progressively the excessive engagement becomes problematic. While seven specific ICBs have been well documented in patients with Parkinson’s Disease as non-motor symptoms, far less research has been done in the general population. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to explore the breadth of ICBs in an older general population sample, as well as the harm associated with them, and the reasons individuals engage in them. Specific factors of the I-PACE model of addiction were operationalized to investigate how these behaviors were used to combat negative affect. Several self-report questionnaires were filled by a sample of 85 older adults in an online survey. Qualitative analyses revealed a wide variety of behaviors considered problematic among older adults, behaviors were of impulse-control, obsessive-compulsive, and substance-use nature. Correlations between harm measure of ICBs revealed a strong association between the severity of symptoms and the ICB-related harm. Lastly, strong associations using independent samples t-tests suggested that the respondents engaged in these behaviors to alleviate their negative feelings and used them as a coping mechanism for dealing with stressful events. These findings suggest that ICBs need to be screened for with regards to both their impulsive and compulsive components and their negative consequences need to be looked at from multiple facets (biological, psychological, social), as well as the developing and maintaining factors of these behaviors. Further studies are needed to further explore the framework proposed by this study in both general and clinical samples.