Compulsive buying is not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder, but it is increasingly viewed as a public health concern due to its reported links with mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, and certain personality disorders. Its prevalence and impact may vary across demographic groups, particularly in rapidly modernizing societies such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to assess the impact of socio-demographic factors including age, gender, income, nationality, and emirate of residence on compulsive buying behavior in the UAE. The goal of study is focused on considering its correlation with mental health related concerns. A survey from 395 participants conducted and responses gathered to the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. Correlations with age, gender, income, nationality and residence were investigated to assess the correlation. The study found that the GCC nationals reported the highest RCBS scores for Dubai/Abu Dhabi with Mean = 22.1. The Welch’s t-tests confirmed that females (Mean = 17.4) scored significantly higher than males respondents with a Mean = 15.7; t (82.01) = 2.85, p = 0.006, Cohen’s d = 0.46, and GCC citizens (Mean = 19.4) scored substantially higher than individuals from the Rest of the World (Mean = 15.5; p < 0.001, t (91.23) = 1.62, d = 0.26). Moreover, residents of Dubai/Abu Dhabi (Mean = 18.0) had significantly higher RCBS scores than those in the Northern Emirates (Mean = 16.5; p = 0.009, t (94.15) = 0.51, d = 0.08). Odds ratio and regression analyses confirmed that GCC nationality and female gender were significant predictors of higher RCBS, while age and income showed weaker associations. Compulsive buying in the UAE is shaped by some demographic factors having higher vulnerability among women, GCC nationals, and residents of more urbanized emirates. These correlations highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing specific at-risk groups, while also considering family and socioeconomic contexts in future research.

Introduction: Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD), also known as buying shopping disorder or Oniomania, is a growing concern that affects mental health, relationships, and financial stability. It is characterised by excessive and uncontrollable buying behaviour. With the rise of consumerism and the proliferation of online shopping, compulsive buying has increased, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of CBD and identify associated risk factors among undergraduate medical, dental, and nursing students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, India from November 2023 to March 2024 among undergraduate students from six colleges. A total of 380 students from medical, dental, and nursing disciplines participated in the study. A pretested semistructured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic details and various risk factors associated with CBD. The validated Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCBS) was employed to determine the prevalence of CBD. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: Among the participants, 232 (61.1%) were female, and 148 (38.9%) were male, with the majority, 272 (71.6%), being under 21 years of age. Educationally, 201 (55.3%) were medical students, while 85 (22.4%) were from nursing and dental disciplines. CBD was observed in 113 (29.7%) of the participants. Significant associations with CBD included female gender, medical education, family history of shopaholics, online shopping, shopping-induced euphoria, anxiety or distress when unable to shop, and lying to family or friends about shopping expenses (p-value &lt;0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed that 29.7% of undergraduate students exhibited Compulsive Buying Behaviour (CBB). These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions and awareness campaigns that address identified risk factors, such as gender, academic discipline, family history, and emotional triggers related to shopping. Such efforts could enhance mental health, financial stability, and interpersonal relationships among students.

Compulsive buying disorder, characterized by repetitive purchasing as a coping mechanism for negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, leads to adverse long-term consequences. It is closely related to credit card debt, with compulsive buyers often relying on credit cards to fund their excessive purchasing habits. This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the development of compulsive buying disorder among college students in New Jersey. The study hypothesized that students with higher income, better employment status, higher socioeconomic status, greater economic security, fewer credit cards, or low credit card debt are more likely to be compulsive buyers. The study further speculated that students with a background in financial literacy or a high education level are less likely to be compulsive buyers. Data were collected through surveys distributed online and in person using the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale and questions targeting various socioeconomic factors. The analyses of their mean values revealed significant associations between credit card ownership, credit card debt levels, and CBD, indicating that access to credit and debt are drivers of compulsive buying. Contrary to initial expectations, the study found no significant differences in education level, financial background, employment status, or socioeconomic status between compulsive and non-compulsive buyers. However, variations in monthly income and economic security between the two groups were present. This study found that credit card usage, credit card debt, monthly income, and economic security were socioeconomic factors that influenced compulsive buying behavior, whereas education level, financial background, employment status, and socioeconomic status did not.

ABSTRACTThe current study explores the intersection of personal values theory, consumer culture, and compulsive buying behavior theories. By examining the importance of different values types, we aim to understand the extent to which specific values influence individuals' tendency to either embrace or resist maladaptive behaviors like compulsive buying. This study postulated that one's values can both contribute to the development of compulsive buying tendencies and act as a protective factor. Importantly, we explored this values‐compulsive relationship within the contrasting consumer cultures of the United States characterized by individualism, and Poland, which predominantly exhibits collectivistic trends. In this work, we utilized two distinct samples/studies of American (n = 367) and Polish (n = 370) consumers and employed two key measurement tools: the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. The research findings revealed that values such as self‐direction, stimulation, hedonism, power, and achievement tend to promote compulsive buying tendencies irrespective of the cultural context. However, the prevalence of compulsive buying is more pronounced among American consumers compared to their Polish counterparts. Furthermore, the impact of hedonism and achievement on compulsive buying was twice as large in the United States as it was in Poland. On the other hand, values such as tradition, security, conformity, benevolence, and universalism appeared to help individuals in preventing or mitigating compulsive buying behavior. This study underscores the critical role of personal values, cultural variations, and their impact on compulsive buying tendencies among consumers. It highlights the presence of specific personal values that can either inhibit or facilitate the development of compulsive buying behaviors.

PurposeAlthough much research focuses on the compulsive buying behavior theory, little attention has been paid to evaluation and diagnosis of compulsive buying in Eastern Europe. This is surprising, given an increasing prevalence of consumerism in many transitioning economies. Young consumers are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to adapt the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale to the Eastern European, specifically Polish cultural and language environment, and to validate it within a group of young Polish consumers, as well to assess the compulsive buying prevalence and the relationship between the compulsive buying and its precursors.Design/methodology/approachThe Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale was selected for adaptation to the Polish context as it represents one of the best methodological and substantive compulsive buying measures in literature. The research is composed of two studies. Study 1 uses an in-person survey of young consumers (N = 504). A wide range of statistical procedures and latent variable modeling was used in the analysis. Study 2 (N = 756) uses an online survey to evaluate the correlation and relationship between the compulsive buying measure and its precursors, including consumers’ traits and states, by implementing a multiple indicators and multiple causes model.FindingsThe results of the two studies confirm that the adapted scale represents a valid and reliable measure of compulsive buying tendency in Poland, with the identified incidence rate of compulsive buying among Polish young consumers ranging from 11% in Study 1 to 11.6% in Study 2. In comparison with the results of other studies using the same measure, the current research findings reveal a similarity with the compulsive buying prevalence in China (10.4%; He et al., 2018), Brazil (9.8%; Leite et al., 2013) and slightly exceed the level found in western societies (e.g. 8.9% in the USA; Ridgway et al., 2008). The results of Study 2 indicate that compulsive buying in Poland is induced by low self-esteem and high levels of materialism, depression, anxiety, stress and negative feelings.Research limitations/implicationsThe present research offers a methodological and substantive contribution by adapting and testing the original version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale within an Eastern European transitional market; specifically Poland. In addition, the study offers an empirical contribution to the international research on compulsive behavior, including its precursors, as seen in young consumers.Practical implicationsThis research offers important public policy implications and highlights ethical implications for business organizations. In particular, the findings of this study offer suggestions for enhancing policies and processes of programing appropriate social and educational campaigns that can save young consumers from the negative consequences of compulsive buying.Originality/valueThe transitional status of the Polish economy and other Eastern European countries has given rise to compulsive buying behavior, especially among young consumers. This emerging consumer behavior trend in Eastern Europe is still underexplored and underreported; hence, there exists a strong need for exploring and measuring such behavior across different Eastern European markets.

Behavioural addictions, such as compulsive buying (CB) and hoarding, are increasingly recognised in the current psychiatric nosology, particularly in developed countries. The prevalence of these disorders may not be static but possibly altered across different age groups. However, studies on this area are rare, and only few have focused on Chinese population. This epidemiological study employs population-based cross-sectional design and collects data in two regions, i.e., Hong Kong and Mainland China. A self-reported questionnaire is constructed based on carefully validated Chinese versions of Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale and Hoarding Rating Scale. A total of 2,439 valid samples are collected and divided into three age groups, i.e., emerging, early and middle adulthood. CB and hoarding behaviours have displayed an inverted u-shaped pattern across the above age groups. In addition, the strength of correlation between the two compulsive behaviours is consistent and maintained across different age groups. These results suggest that the compulsive behaviours vary among different stages of adulthood in major cities in China. This newly discovered pattern of compulsive disorders in Chinese population is different from those in American and European populations.

Introduction: Research has found that psychopathology is positively associated with abnormal buying behavior. Nevertheless, it is required to further investigate internal mechanisms underlying this relationship. The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of boredom in the relationship between depression symptoms and compulsive buying behavior. Method: The research design was descriptive – correlational. From the female high school students’ population of Nourabad in the academic year of 2019, a total of 239 participants were selected using multistage cluster sampling and were tested by the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory- II .To analyze the data, path analysis were conducted. Results: The results showed that direct effect of depression symptoms on compulsive buying behavior were significantly positive. Also, results showed that the mediating role of boredom in the relationship between depression symptoms and compulsive buying behavior was significant. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that depression and boredom are two important factors affecting female students’ compulsive buying behavior. So, these findings highlighted the critical role of early intervention for compulsive buying behavior with a focus on those with depression symptoms and boredom.

Although a great deal of research has been conducted on compulsive buying, little if any, research has explored compulsive buying from a wider theoretical perspective, encompassing all types of values as potential drivers of compulsive buying. In particular, no comprehensive research has been conducted in the diagnosis of mechanisms that direct the development of compulsive buying from the perspective of personal values theory. Thus, the objective of the current research was to explore compulsive buying within Schwartz's value model, as well as examining the role particular values play as predictors of compulsive buying. Data were obtained from randomly selected students (young adults), whose ages ranged from 17 to 25 years-old, enrolled at professional and high schools, and at universities in Poland. Personal values were measured by the Polish version of Personal Values Questionnaire, while compulsive buying propensity was assessed by the Polish version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. Generally, the study's hypotheses were supported by SEM analysis. That is, those who held values comprising "Self-Enhancement" and "Openness to Change" were more likely to be compulsive buyers. In contrast, those who held values comprising "Self-Transcendence" and "Conservation" were more likely to be non-compulsive buyers. Compulsive buyers were more self-focused, hedonistic, power- and achievement-oriented than non-compulsive buyers. Finally, values that emphasized importance of communal rather than individualistic goals appeared to prevent compulsive buying.

Background: This study examined patterns of problematic shopping behavior by South Korean internet users to investigate the association between problematic internet shopping (PIS) and dissociative experiences.; Methods: Five hundred and ninety eight participants from 20–69 years old were recruited through an online panel survey. We gathered information about sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol use, caffeine intake, and online shopping behaviors. Psychopathological assessments included Korean version of dissociative experience scale (DES-K), Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI-K), the modified Stress Response Inventory (SRI-MF), the Barratt Impulsive Scale-11-Revised (BIS-K). We used multiple logistic regression analysis with the Richmond compulsive buying scale (RCBS-K) as the dependent variable.; Results: The prevalence of shoppers with internet-based problem shopping was 12.5%. The amount of time spent on online shopping was correlated with PIS severity (OR = 1.008, p < 0.01). The risk of PIS was related to an increased tendency toward dissociation (OR = 1.044, p < 0.001) and impulsivity (OR = 1.046, p < 0.05). Conclusions: PIS participants with dissociation showed higher levels of perceived stress, gambling problems, and impulsivity than did PIS participants without dissociation. This study suggests that dissociation was associated with a higher burden of PIS as it was connected to poor mental health problems.

Background and aimsCompulsive buying (CB) is a behavioral addiction that is conceptualized as an obsessive–compulsive and impulsive–control disorder. The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCBS), a six-item self-reporting instrument that has been validated worldwide, was developed based on this theoretical background. This study aimed to adapt RCBS to the Chinese population (RCBS-TC) to guide future national and international prevalence studies.MethodsThis methodological study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved the forward and backward translation of RCBS, the content and face validation of the RCBS, and the evaluation of its translation adequacy. Phase 2 involved the psychometric testing of RCBS-TC for its internal consistency, stability, and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsIn Phase 1, RCBS-TC obtained satisfactory item-level (I-CVI = 83.3%–100%) and scale-level content validity index (CVI/AVE = 97.2%), comprehensibility (100%), and translation adequacy [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.858]. In Phase 2, based on data collected from 821 adults, RCBS-TC demonstrated a satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .88; corrected item-total correlation coefficients = 0.61–0.78) 2-week test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.82 based on 61 university students). For construct validation, the CFA results indicated that the corrected first-order two-factor models were acceptable with the same goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df = 8.56, CFI = 0.99, NFI = 0.98, IFI = 0.99, and RMSEA = 0.09). The 2-week test–retest reliability of RCBS-TC (n = 61) was also satisfactory (ICC = 0.82).Discussion and conclusionsThis methodological study adopted appropriate and stringent procedures to ensure that the translation and validation of RCBS-TC was of quality. The results indicate that this scale has a satisfactory reliability and validity for the Chinese population.

Compulsive buying in China: Measurement, prevalence, and online drivers

The purpose of this study is to summarize studies concerning the development and evaluation of assessment tools for buying disorder (BD) between 2000 and 2016. There is still a lack of formal diagnostic criteria and field-tested structured interviews for BD. With regard to questionnaires, the following psychometrically sound instruments assessing symptoms of BD have been developed within the last decade: (1) the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCBS), which conceptualizes BD as an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder; (2) the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale (BSAS), which regards BD as “shopping addiction;” and (3) the Pathological Buying Screener (PBS), which reflects addictive and impulse-control-disorder aspects of BD. Future studies should make use of the new questionnaires assessing symptoms of BD. Furthermore, diagnostic criteria for BD should be developed and validated in order to better establish the diagnosis of BD and to accomplish its recognition as a mental disorder.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean version of Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale

Compulsive buying can be characterized as an almost irresistible urge to buy various items. Compulsive buying disorder is a subject of growing interest to health professionals. It is a current issue and the prevalence rate in the global population is around 5 to 8%. The main objective of this study was to identify predictors of compulsive buying in the Brazilian population, assessing possible relationships between compulsive buying, depression and anxiety. The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale was administered to screen for compulsive buying and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess anxiety and depression in a sample of 359 participants. Pearson coefficients were used to test for correlations. Our study identified an interaction between female gender and compulsion to purchase. Furthermore, people's occupations also appear to have an influence on the problem. We found a correlation between depressive symptoms and oniomania. Our study has certain limitations, such as the difficulty in recruiting individuals with compulsive buying disorder. Since compulsive buying is a phenomenon that is seldom investigated, it therefore remains unidentified. However, this is nevertheless a pioneering paper on the Brazilian population.

The aims of this study are to examine the characteristics of compulsive buying among college students at an American public university. More specifically we explored how irrational beliefs impact compulsive buying among this population; and, to investigate the types and frequency of consumer goods purchased by college students at an American public university. The study is based on data collected from a self-administered survey of 175 American college women. The results of this study showed that the prevalence of women are compulsive buyers was consistent with an earlier estimate using the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (27 %); irrational beliefs were associated with and predicted compulsive buying; and compulsive and non-compulsive buyers did not differ in the types of consumer goods purchased but in the frequency with which consumer goods are purchased. The study has significance by replicating the impact irrational beliefs have on compulsive buying. Such beliefs should be addressed in any preventative program targeting compulsive buying.

Measuring compulsive buying behaviour: Psychometric validity of three different scales and prevalence in the general population and in shopping centres

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale–Shopping Version (YBOCS-SV)

Background and aims: Descriptions of compulsive buying often emphasize the roles of negative moods and trait impulsivity in the development of problematic buying habits. Trait impulsivity is sometimes treated as a unidimensional trait in compulsive buying research, but recent factor analyses suggest that impulsivity consists of multiple components that are probably best treated as independent predictors of problem behavior. In order to draw greater attention to the role of positive moods in compulsive buying, in this study we tested whether negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly while in negative moods) and positive urgency (the tendency to act rashly while in positive moods) account for similar amounts of variance in compulsive buying. Methods: North American adults (N = 514) completed an online survey containing the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (Ridgway, Kukar-Kinney & Monroe, 2008), established measures of positive and negative urgency (Cyders et al., 2007), ad hoc measures of buying-specific positive and negative urgency, measures of extraversion and neuroticism obtained from the International Personality Item Pool (http://ipip.ori.org/), and demographic questions. Results: In several multiple regression analyses, when demographic variables, neuroticism, and extraversion were controlled, positive urgency and negative urgency both emerged as significant predictors of compulsive buying. Whether the two urgency variables were domain-general or buying-specific, they accounted for similar amounts of variance in compulsive buying. Conclusions: Preventing and reducing compulsive buying may require attention not only to the purchasing decisions people make while in negative states, but also to the purchasing decisions they make while in positive states.

To present the process of transcultural adaptation of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale to Brazilian Portuguese. For the semantic adaptation step, the scale was translated to Portuguese and then back-translated to English by two professional translators and one psychologist, without any communication between them. The scale was then applied to 20 participants from the general population for language adjustments. For the construct validation step, an exploratory factor analysis was performed, using the scree plot test, principal component analysis for factor extraction, and Varimax rotation. For convergent validity, the correlation matrix was analyzed through Pearson's coefficient. The scale showed easy applicability, satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.87), and a high correlation with other rating scales for compulsive buying disorder, indicating that it is suitable to be used in the assessment and diagnosis of compulsive buying disorder, as it presents psychometric validity. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale has good validity and reliability.