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 Researchers from University Hospital of Erlangen in Bavaria, Germany conducted a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of a group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention, designed for the treatment of compulsive buying disorder, to a wait list control (WLC) group.
Thirty-one patients with compulsive buying problems according to the
criteria developed by McElroy et al. were assigned to receive active
treatment (12 weekly sessions and 6-month follow-up) and 29 to the WLC
group. The treatment was specifically aimed at interrupting and
controlling the problematic buying behavior, establishing healthy
purchasing patterns, restructuring maladaptive thoughts and negative
feelings associated with shopping and buying, and developing healthy
coping skills.
Primary outcome measures were the Compulsive
Buying Scale (CBS), the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Shopping
Version (YBOCS-SV), and the German Compulsive Buying Scale (G-CBS).
Secondary outcome measures were the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised
(SCL-90-R), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and the Saving
Inventory-Revised (SI-R).
Multivariate analysis revealed
significant differences between the CBT and the WLC groups on the
primary outcome variables, and improvement was maintained during the
6-month follow-up. The treatment did not affect other psychopathology,
e.g., compulsive hoarding, impulsivity, or SCL-90-R scores. Lower
numbers of visits to group therapy sessions and higher pre-treatment
hoarding habits were significant predictors for nonresponse.
The
results suggest that a disorder-specific cognitive-behavioral
intervention can significantly impact compulsive buying behavior.
Citation: Mueller A, Mühlhans B, Silbermann A, Müller U, Mertens C, Horbach T, Mitchell JE, de Zwaan M. A randomized, controlled trial of group cognitive-behavioral therapy for compulsive buying disorder: posttreatment and 6-month follow-up results. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2008
Jul;69 (7): pages
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