Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?

Aim The aim of this position paper is to address the question of how psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) should develop further. Method: After a brief summary of existing psychotherapy research, this paper concentrates on the advantages and shortcomings of previous...

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Main Authors: Astrid Müller, Patrick Trotzke, Patricia Schaar, Tobias A. Thomas, Ekaterini Georgiadou, Sabine Steins-Loeber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Addictive Behaviors Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853225000094
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author Astrid Müller
Patrick Trotzke
Patricia Schaar
Tobias A. Thomas
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Sabine Steins-Loeber
author_facet Astrid Müller
Patrick Trotzke
Patricia Schaar
Tobias A. Thomas
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Sabine Steins-Loeber
author_sort Astrid Müller
collection DOAJ
description Aim The aim of this position paper is to address the question of how psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) should develop further. Method: After a brief summary of existing psychotherapy research, this paper concentrates on the advantages and shortcomings of previous psychotherapy studies and offers recommendations for future psychotherapy research in the domain of CBSD. Results: Systematic reviews indicate that cognitive behavioural therapy is the most researched form of psychotherapy and presents a helpful intervention for reducing the symptom severity of CBSD. Notwithstanding the positive outcomes, the psychotherapy studies to date are limited by methodological shortcomings, which reduce their validity and generalizability. While research into the psychological mechanisms of offline and online CBSD has expanded considerably, psychotherapy research has not kept pace with this growth. Although the majority of individuals with CBSD engage in online shopping, the problematic usage of shopping websites has not been considered in any of the treatment studies to date. Conclusion: The application of the experimental medicine framework to psychotherapy research for CBSD may enhance the integration of findings on psychological mechanisms of CBSD with existing treatment concepts for CBSD. Moreover, it is necessary to consider the impact of technological factors and e-marketing in the context of treatment. There is a need for 1) proof-of-concept studies to test specific interventions that target specific psychological processes and mechanisms of CBSD, and 2) high-quality psychotherapy studies to test the efficacy and effectiveness of new treatment approaches in accordance with the scientific standards for randomised controlled trials
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spelling doaj-art-11629c0f6a7f4e839c899dd67f5c35372025-08-20T02:34:39ZengElsevierAddictive Behaviors Reports2352-85322025-06-012110059110.1016/j.abrep.2025.100591Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?Astrid Müller0Patrick Trotzke1Patricia Schaar2Tobias A. Thomas3Ekaterini Georgiadou4Sabine Steins-Loeber5Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Corresponding author.Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Charlotte-Fresenius University of Psychology, Cologne, GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Paracelsus Medical University Nuremberg, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, GermanyDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Otto-Friedrich-University of Bamberg, GermanyAim The aim of this position paper is to address the question of how psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) should develop further. Method: After a brief summary of existing psychotherapy research, this paper concentrates on the advantages and shortcomings of previous psychotherapy studies and offers recommendations for future psychotherapy research in the domain of CBSD. Results: Systematic reviews indicate that cognitive behavioural therapy is the most researched form of psychotherapy and presents a helpful intervention for reducing the symptom severity of CBSD. Notwithstanding the positive outcomes, the psychotherapy studies to date are limited by methodological shortcomings, which reduce their validity and generalizability. While research into the psychological mechanisms of offline and online CBSD has expanded considerably, psychotherapy research has not kept pace with this growth. Although the majority of individuals with CBSD engage in online shopping, the problematic usage of shopping websites has not been considered in any of the treatment studies to date. Conclusion: The application of the experimental medicine framework to psychotherapy research for CBSD may enhance the integration of findings on psychological mechanisms of CBSD with existing treatment concepts for CBSD. Moreover, it is necessary to consider the impact of technological factors and e-marketing in the context of treatment. There is a need for 1) proof-of-concept studies to test specific interventions that target specific psychological processes and mechanisms of CBSD, and 2) high-quality psychotherapy studies to test the efficacy and effectiveness of new treatment approaches in accordance with the scientific standards for randomised controlled trialshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853225000094compulsive buyingcognitive behavioural therapycue reactivityexperimental medicine approachpsychotherapy
spellingShingle Astrid Müller
Patrick Trotzke
Patricia Schaar
Tobias A. Thomas
Ekaterini Georgiadou
Sabine Steins-Loeber
Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
Addictive Behaviors Reports
compulsive buying
cognitive behavioural therapy
cue reactivity
experimental medicine approach
psychotherapy
title Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
title_full Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
title_fullStr Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
title_full_unstemmed Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
title_short Psychotherapy research for compulsive buying-shopping disorder: Quo vadis?
title_sort psychotherapy research for compulsive buying shopping disorder quo vadis
topic compulsive buying
cognitive behavioural therapy
cue reactivity
experimental medicine approach
psychotherapy
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853225000094
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