Compulsive Buying Behaviours among Chinese People in Hong Kong: Prevalence, Patterns and Mental Health Conditions

Objectives: This study was exploratory and aimed to find out the prevalence, profiles and mental health conditions of compulsive buyers in Hong Kong.
Method: A convenience sampling method was used to recruit respondents from university campuses, shopping centres and users of social services of Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals. A total of 1489 people completed the questionnaire.
Results: Using the criteria proposed by Faber and O’Guinn, 100 respondents fell into the compulsive buying category. The numbers of female to male compulsive buyers were 60% to 40%, and about 70% in younger age group below 30. The most frequently purchased items were clothing, food and dinning and shoes. Compulsive buyers tended to spend an average of $HK500 on each item they brought and mainly used credit card to pay for the purchase. Many compulsive buyers were in debts and borrowed money from relatives and families to pay their debts as well as using credit cards to do so. Over 13 % had their debts reorganized and another 11% went bankrupt. Both male and female compulsive buyers had very high rate of psychological distress as indicated by their GSI scores (77.5% for men and 65% for women). Those who had a history of mental illness claimed that they had the illnesses after engaging in compulsive buying behaviours, and not vice versa. The most common types were depression and anxiety. Implications for public education and counseling were discussed.