Validation of three compulsive buying scales on an Italian sample

Tommasi, Marco

Primo

;Busonera, Alessandra

Secondo

2012-01-01

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Abstract

Compulsive shopping is an impulse control disorder that produces psychological distress. Appropriate measurement scales of compulsive buying are important to identify compulsive buyers. Three compulsive buying scales (Faber and O'Guirin Scale, Edwards Scale, Yale and Brown Scale) were tested in an Italian sample composed of 438 participants randomly selected from the general population. Self-report questionnaires measured psychiatric dysfunctions and personality traits. The data confirmed that high anxiety obsessive-compulsive dysfunctions, depression, psychoticism, and low self-esteem were associated with inappropriate shopping. The Faber and O'Guinn Scale and Edwards Scale are appropriate for surveys, while the Yale and Brown Scale are more appropriate for clinical diagnosis of psychological dependences.