Compulsive Buying Behaviour

Compulsive buying behaviour (CBB) occurs when a person engages in repetitive excessive purchasing of items that, most of the time, are not used, and usually leads to significant financial consequences. Compulsive buyers experience craving before and at the moment of purchase but are regularly disappointed by the things they buy (Weinstein et al., 2016). CBB is highly correlated with childhood trauma and abuse, and is often motivated by feelings of low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, or anxiety (Elbarazi, 2023; Richardson et al., 2024). By some estimates, 80-95% of those affected are women (Black, 2001). Studies show that young adults, within post-secondary ages, have higher prevalence rates of CBB, and with the widespread availability of online shopping, at-home delivery, and glamorization of overconsumption, compulsive buying can be challenging to identify (Maraz et al., 2016).

People who struggle with CBB are likely also experiencing concurrent mental health challenges (Black, 2001). These can include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Substance use disorders
• Eating disorders

Generally, for compulsive buying to become a clinical concern, there must be personal dysfunction or distress within an individual’s social, financial, and occupational life due to the purchasing behaviours. The dysfunction is less about the impact of the items themselves (although hoarding is an important co-occurring condition to be aware of) but the strong desire to buy, associated financial strain, and difficulty controlling these actions despite the impact. Attempts to suppress or control urges to compulsively shop can produce strong emotions that further contribute to the person’s distress. Conversely, buying items may still elicit negative feelings such as anger, self-blame, shame, guilt, and embarrassment—thus leaving people feeling stuck in a destructive cycle (Elbarazi, 2023).

Signs of CBB include (Koran et al., 2006; Weinstein et al., 2016):

• Repetitive, irresistible, and overpowering urges to purchase goods that are frequently useless and/or unused
• Shopping for periods longer than necessary
• Experiencing impulses to shop in response to negative, challenging, or intense emotions
• Tendency to be secretive about purchases

Supporting students who are struggling with CBB should involve, whenever possible, clinical mental health providers. Although the evidence-base is thin and inconclusive with respect to psychotherapeutic or pharmacological evidence-based interventions, group therapy is a promising support service (Hague et al., 2016; Lourenço Leite et al., 2014). Other helpful individual strategies to reduce the harm of compulsive buying can include (Thomas et al., 2024):

• Setting a weekly or daily limit on spending
• Buying only with limited amounts of cash
• Leaving credit and debit cards at home
• Reducing ‘buy now, pay later’ options
• Developing financial literacy on topics such as credit card management, budgeting, and saving
• Tracking your finances or meeting with a financial advisor to keep track of spending patterns
• Reducing exposure to media that may show overconsumption or advertisements (e.g., shopping hauls on social media, promotion emails)
• Finding alternative activities to buying when feeling negative emotions
• Recognizing triggers and emotions that lead to impulse buying, especially during holiday seasons
• Developing emotion regulation strategies (e.g., mindfulness)

There is a need for specialized support related to compulsive buying specific to youth, as currently the primary support for this may be a mental health professional or a financial advisor.