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Cognitive-behavioural group therapy versus guided self-help for compulsive buying disorder: a preliminary study
A Müller1, A Arikian, M de Zwaan
1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Germany. mueller.astrid@mh-hannover.de
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
|August 9, 2011
Summary
Group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) effectively treats compulsive buying (CB), outperforming telephone-guided self-help (GSH). GSH also showed benefits over waiting lists for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Compulsive buying (CB) involves excessive preoccupation with shopping, leading to significant negative consequences.
- Preliminary evidence suggests group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective for treating CB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of group CBT for compulsive buying against telephone-guided self-help (GSH) and a waiting list control.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study randomly assigned 56 patients with compulsive buying to either group CBT (n=22), GSH (n=20), or a waiting list (n=14).
- Outcomes were assessed to compare treatment effectiveness across the three conditions.
Main Results:
- Face-to-face group CBT demonstrated superiority over both the waiting list and GSH interventions.
- Patients receiving GSH showed a trend towards greater improvement in compulsive buying compared to the waiting list controls.
Conclusions:
- Group CBT appears to be a more effective treatment for compulsive buying than GSH.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the efficacy of GSH as an intervention for compulsive buying, especially given the preliminary nature of these findings.
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