Compulsive buying and borderline personality symptomatology

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Compulsive buying and borderline personality disorder (BPD) share potential links through impulsivity.
• Understanding these comorbidities is crucial for effective treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between compulsive buying and BPD symptomatology.
• To explore potential differences in this relationship across racial groups.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey methodology.
• Utilized the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS), the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4) BPD scale, and the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI).
• Sample comprised nonemergent female outpatients from an obstetrics/gynecology clinic.

Main Results:

• 8% of Caucasian women and 9% of African-American women reported compulsive buying.
• Significant positive correlations were found between compulsive buying scores and BPD measures (r=0.43 for PDQ-4, r=0.41 for SHI, p < .001).
• African-American women showed significantly stronger associations between BPD measures and compulsive buying compared to Caucasian women.

Conclusions:

• Compulsive buying is significantly associated with BPD symptomatology.
• The relationship between compulsive buying and BPD appears particularly pronounced in African-American women.
• Findings underscore the importance of assessing for compulsive buying in patients with BPD and vice versa.