To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder

Background: Research with individuals with compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) indicated that comorbid hoarding disorder (HD), as determined by questionnaire cutoffs, is associated with more severe CBSD. This study investigated a clinical sample with CBSD and determined the prevalence of HD b...

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Main Authors: Justus Varvaras, Patricia Schaar, Nora M. Laskowski, Ekaterini Georgiadou, Melissa M. Norberg, Astrid Müller
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Comprehensive Psychiatry
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2500015X
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author Justus Varvaras
Patricia Schaar
Nora M. Laskowski
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Melissa M. Norberg
Astrid Müller
author_facet Justus Varvaras
Patricia Schaar
Nora M. Laskowski
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Melissa M. Norberg
Astrid Müller
author_sort Justus Varvaras
collection DOAJ
description Background: Research with individuals with compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) indicated that comorbid hoarding disorder (HD), as determined by questionnaire cutoffs, is associated with more severe CBSD. This study investigated a clinical sample with CBSD and determined the prevalence of HD by clinical interview, explored whether hoarding refers to consumer goods and/or non-purchased, free items, and compared patients with (HD+) and without (HD-) comorbid HD regarding materialism, impulsiveness, general psychopathology, CBSD and HD symptoms. Additionally, the relationship between CBSD symptoms and other study variables was explored in the total sample. Method: All patients (N = 81) underwent a clinical interview and answered the Pathological Buying Screener (PBS), the German Saving Inventory-Revised (GSI-R), and measures for materialism, impulsiveness, depression and anxiety. Results: Seventeen patients had comorbid HD, of which 82 % hoarded predominantly purchased items. The HD+ group scored higher than the HD- group on the clutter and difficulty discarding GSI-R subscales, but not on the excessive acquisition GSI-R subscale or the PBS. There were no group differences in materialism, impulsiveness, and general psychopathology. The correlation between the PBS and the GSI-R in the total sample was driven by the high correlation between the PBS and the excessive acquisition GSI-R subscale. Higher PBS/GSI-R excessive acquisition scores were related to higher materialism and more psychopathology. Conclusion: The findings indicate that hoarding in CBSD is mostly related to purchased consumer goods and not associated with a higher symptom severity of CBSD. Further investigation into the specifics of hoarding in the context of CBSD is necessary.
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spelling doaj-art-d4e97a781cfb4e5a935cba119c288cc42025-08-20T02:09:31ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychiatry0010-440X2025-05-0113915258810.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152588To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorderJustus Varvaras0Patricia Schaar1Nora M. Laskowski2Ekaterini Georgiadou3Melissa M. Norberg4Astrid Müller5Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Corresponding author at: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; University Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-University Bochum, Medical Faculty, Campus East-Westphalia, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Paracelsus Medical University Nuremberg, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyLifespan Health and Wellbeing Centre, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, AustraliaDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyBackground: Research with individuals with compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) indicated that comorbid hoarding disorder (HD), as determined by questionnaire cutoffs, is associated with more severe CBSD. This study investigated a clinical sample with CBSD and determined the prevalence of HD by clinical interview, explored whether hoarding refers to consumer goods and/or non-purchased, free items, and compared patients with (HD+) and without (HD-) comorbid HD regarding materialism, impulsiveness, general psychopathology, CBSD and HD symptoms. Additionally, the relationship between CBSD symptoms and other study variables was explored in the total sample. Method: All patients (N = 81) underwent a clinical interview and answered the Pathological Buying Screener (PBS), the German Saving Inventory-Revised (GSI-R), and measures for materialism, impulsiveness, depression and anxiety. Results: Seventeen patients had comorbid HD, of which 82 % hoarded predominantly purchased items. The HD+ group scored higher than the HD- group on the clutter and difficulty discarding GSI-R subscales, but not on the excessive acquisition GSI-R subscale or the PBS. There were no group differences in materialism, impulsiveness, and general psychopathology. The correlation between the PBS and the GSI-R in the total sample was driven by the high correlation between the PBS and the excessive acquisition GSI-R subscale. Higher PBS/GSI-R excessive acquisition scores were related to higher materialism and more psychopathology. Conclusion: The findings indicate that hoarding in CBSD is mostly related to purchased consumer goods and not associated with a higher symptom severity of CBSD. Further investigation into the specifics of hoarding in the context of CBSD is necessary.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2500015XExcessive acquisitionCompulsive buyingHoarding disorderComorbidityMaterialism
spellingShingle Justus Varvaras
Patricia Schaar
Nora M. Laskowski
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Melissa M. Norberg
Astrid Müller
To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
Comprehensive Psychiatry
Excessive acquisition
Compulsive buying
Hoarding disorder
Comorbidity
Materialism
title To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
title_full To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
title_fullStr To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
title_full_unstemmed To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
title_short To hoard or not to hoard purchased items - does it matter? A clinical cross-sectional study on compulsive buying-shopping disorder
title_sort to hoard or not to hoard purchased items does it matter a clinical cross sectional study on compulsive buying shopping disorder
topic Excessive acquisition
Compulsive buying
Hoarding disorder
Comorbidity
Materialism
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2500015X
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