It takes two to tango! A study to understand the relationship between compulsive buying and coping strategies.

Dr Deepika Abhainath Singh; Dr Jahnavi S Kedare; Dr Arun Kumar

Volume : VI, Issue : II, February - 2017

It takes two to tango! A study to understand the relationship between compulsive buying and coping strategies.

Dr Deepika Abhainath Singh, Dr Jahnavi S Kedare, Dr Arun Kumar

Abstract :

Background: In recent times there has been an exponential growth with respect to compulsive buying disorder. Despite growing concerns over the increasing incidence of compulsive buying, there is scarcity of research with regards to factors affecting it.

Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of compulsive buying disorder, their socio–demographic profile and its relationship with coping strategies in medical students.

Materials & Methods: Ethics committee approval was obtained. Two hundred MBBS students, interns and post graduate residents were included in the study after written informed consent. Self–reported semi–structured questionnaire which included details about socio–demographic profile, Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCBS) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation 21(CISS–21) were administered. Statistical analysis was done.

Results: Compulsive buying disorder was seen in 22% of the participants with significantly more prevalence in younger age group (18–22 years) and in females. With regards to marital status, residence, educational year and buying power there was no statistically significant difference between compulsive buyers and non–compulsive buyers. Compulsive buyers used more of avoidance based and emotion oriented coping while non–compulsive buyers had better coping and they used more of task oriented coping mechanisms. Severity of compulsive buying was negatively correlated with task based coping mechanisms and positively correlated with avoidance and emotion based coping.

Conclusion: This study is one of the very few studies in Indian context which explores the relationship between compulsive buying and coping strategies. Early detection and interventions to improve coping strategies will help a big deal in this group of patients