Purchasing Under the Influence of Alcohol: The Impact of Hazardous and Harmful Patterns of Alcohol Consumption, Impulsivity, and Compulsive Buying.

The current research examined how hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption, problematic online shopping when drinking alcohol, impulsivity, and compulsive buying were associated with and predicted the frequency of making purchases while under the influence of alcohol. A sample of American adults between the ages of 25 and 64 who reported having at least one drink per week over the past 6 months were surveyed. Regression-based path modeling revealed for those who made online purchases while moderately intoxicated, hazardous and harmful patterns of drinking alcohol and, problematic online shopping when drinking alcohol, predicted the frequency of making purchases while intoxicated. For those who made online purchases while heavily intoxicated, hazardous and harmful patterns of drinking alcohol, impulsivity, problematic online shopping when drinking alcohol, and compulsive buying predicted the frequency of making purchases while intoxicated. We explain our findings by suggesting individuals engage in frequent drunk purchases because they are motivated to alleviate their negative mood states.

A Hierarchical Personality Approach Toward a Fuller Understanding of Onychophagia and Compulsive Buying.

PURPOSE: Employing a hierarchical model of personality, prior research suggests that cardinal traits such as conscientiousness and agreeability predict central traits such as materialism and need for arousal that in turn impact surface traits such as onychophagia and compulsive buying. More research is needed to explore additional central traits and their effect on onychophagia and compulsive buying. Thus, the goal of the current research is to examine how another central trait-negative perfectionism-impacts onychophagia and compulsive buying. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A survey was administered both online and face-to-face resulting in a sample of 634 subjects of which 391 were individuals with onychophagia. Through a multi-group analysis, a causal model was tested to identify personality traits and their relationship with compulsive buying. RESULTS: Results showed that onychophagia was affected by other obsessive-compulsive disorders-particularly trichotillomania, and excoriation disorder, which significantly increased the likelihood that the participant was a compulsive buyer.

Toward the Extension of Antecedents of Compulsive Buying: The Influence of Personal Values Theory.

Although a great deal of research has been conducted on compulsive buying, little if any, research has explored compulsive buying from a wider theoretical perspective, encompassing all types of values as potential drivers of compulsive buying. In particular, no comprehensive research has been conducted in the diagnosis of mechanisms that direct the development of compulsive buying from the perspective of personal values theory. Thus, the objective of the current research was to explore compulsive buying within Schwartz's value model, as well as examining the role particular values play as predictors of compulsive buying. Data were obtained from randomly selected students (young adults), whose ages ranged from 17 to 25 years-old, enrolled at professional and high schools, and at universities in Poland. Personal values were measured by the Polish version of Personal Values Questionnaire, while compulsive buying propensity was assessed by the Polish version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. Generally, the study's hypotheses were supported by SEM analysis. That is, those who held values comprising "Self-Enhancement" and "Openness to Change" were more likely to be compulsive buyers. In contrast, those who held values comprising "Self-Transcendence" and "Conservation" were more likely to be non-compulsive buyers. Compulsive buyers were more self-focused, hedonistic, power- and achievement-oriented than non-compulsive buyers. Finally, values that emphasized importance of communal rather than individualistic goals appeared to prevent compulsive buying.

Compulsive Buying: The Impact of Attitudes Toward Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Physical Appearance Investment.

Objective: The current research examined whether eating disorder risk and the attitudinal elements related to body image predict compulsive buying. Method: A sample of students attending two public universities located in the northeast United States were surveyed. Results: A multiple regression indicated that attitudes related to one's physical appearance, fitness, and health as well as eating disorder risk were predictors of compulsive buying with appearance orientation being the strongest predictor of compulsive buying. Conclusions: Understanding the factors that affect compulsive buying aids the identification of problematic compulsive buying and informs the treatment of compulsive buying. Treatment models may be more effective if additional attention is given to addressing the anxiety compulsive buyers experience when they experience a discrepancy between their ideal and actual self.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Sexual Intent Scale.

Men have been found to attribute more sexual meaning to cross-gender interactions than women do--a finding that has come to be known as the oversexualization effect. Despite the large body of research supporting the notion that men are more biased in their perceptions than women, researchers are moving beyond gender differences and examining personality variables to identify factors that can explain and predict the oversexualization effect. However, results have been mixed. Thus, the goal of this study was to develop a measurement tool, the Sexual Intent Scale, which assesses individual differences in attributing sexual intent. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Sexual Intent Scale revealed the scale has three components we termed Sexual Facility, Friendship Facility, and Sexual Empathy. Temporal reliability and convergent and construct validity as well as norms and subscale correlations are presented. Results are discussed in terms of the scale's utility and directions for future research are explored.