The interviews addressed buying attitudes

OBJECTIVE Compulsive buying (uncontrolled urges to buy, with resulting significant adverse consequences) has been estimated to print from 1. 8% to 16% of the adult U. S. population. To the authors knowledge, no study has used a large general population sample to estimate its prevalence. METHOD The authors conducted a random sample, national household telephone survey in the forswear and summer of 2004 and interviewed 2,513 adults.The interviews addressed buying attitudes and behaviors, their consequences, and the respondents financial and demographic data. The authors used a clinically validated screening instrument, the Compulsive Buying Scale, to classify respondents as either set buyers or not. RESULTS The rate of response was 56. 3%, which compares favourably with rates in federal national health surveys. The cooperation rate was 97. 6%. Respondents included a higher percentage of women and people ages 55 and honest-to-god than the U.S. adult population. The estimated point prevalence of compulsive buying among respondents was 5. 8% (by sexual practice 6. 0% for women, 5. 5% for men). The gender-adjusted prevalence rate was 5. 8%. Compared with other respondents, compulsive buyers were younger, and a greater proportion reported incomes under $50,000. They exhibited more maladaptive responses on most consumer behavior measures and were more than four times slight likely to pay off credit card balances in full.CONCLUSIONSA study using clinically valid interviews is needed to evaluate these results. The horny and functional toll of compulsive buying and the frequency of comorbid psychiatric disorders notify that studies of treatments and social interventions are warranted Source American Journal of Psychiatry http//ajp. psychiatryonline. org/cgi/ nitty-gritty/abstract/163/10/1806