Shop 'til you drop: A coping mechanism for stressed university students?

Compulsive buying is a concerning problem affecting university students who are particularly vulnerable to experiencing anxiety and stress due to academic workloads, financial difficulties, and social isolation. The current study explores the relationship between compulsive buying behaviour, gender differences, anxiety, stress,and coping styles among university students. As expected, findings revealed female university students reported significantly higher levels of compulsive buying behaviour compared to male students, and students engaging incompulsive buying behaviours were significantly younger than non-compulsive buying students. Compared to university students who reported regular purchasing behaviours, university students who engaged in compulsive buying also reported significantly higher disengaged coping and stress levels, and significantly lower use of engaged coping. Disengaged coping also accounted for a significant amount of variance in compulsive buying behaviour. The findings suggest coping is a significant factor in the development of compulsive buying behaviour in university students who experience moderate levels of stress.