ABSTRACT
According to Black (2007), “compulsive buying (CB) is characterized by excessive shopping cognitions and buying behavior that leads to distress or impairment” (p. 14). ˜e lifetime prevalence of CB was estimated to be 5.8 percent in the American (Koran, Faber, Aboujaoude, Large, & Serpe, 2006) and about 7 percent in the German (Neuner, Raab, & Reisch, 2005; Mueller, Mitchell, Crosby, Gefeller, Faber, Martin et al., in press) general population. Clinical trials suggest that 80 percent to 95 percent of persons seeking treatment for CB are women (Black, 2007). However, population-based studies have not con§rmed a gender e€ect (Koran et al., 2006; Mueller et al., in press).
