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Big Five Personality Traits, Coping Strategies and Compulsive Buying in Spanish University Students

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  • José Manuel Otero-López

    (Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, C/Xosé María Suárez Núñez, s/n, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

  • María José Santiago

    (Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, C/Xosé María Suárez Núñez, s/n, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

  • María Cristina Castro

    (Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, C/Xosé María Suárez Núñez, s/n, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

Abstract

Personality traits and coping strategies have historically been two key elements in the field of health psychology. It is, therefore, striking that there is no study in the field of compulsive buying that integrates the most generic, decontextualized and stable aspects (traits) with those having a more marked processual and dynamic nature, which are closer to goal-based views of human nature (coping strategies). Another weakness of the compulsive buying field is that, despite the confirmed growing increase in compulsive buying in the younger age groups, most studies have been conducted with adult samples. Hence, this study seeks to clarify the role of the Big Five domains and different coping strategies in university students’ compulsive buying. The sample consisted of 1093 participants who were classified as either compulsive buyers or non-compulsive buyers. Both groups were compared regarding sociodemographic variables (gender, age), the Big Five personality traits, and coping strategies through chi-square tests or Student’s t -tests. Besides, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine which of these determinants might play a part in the construction of a risk profile for compulsive buying. The results showed that other than gender (specifically being female), Neuroticism and the use of such coping strategies as problem avoidance and wishful thinking are risk factors that increase the propensity for compulsive buying. The use of active coping strategies such as problem solving, cognitive restructuring and social support, as well as the Conscientiousness dimension are protection factors that decrease the likelihood of becoming a compulsive buyer. Finally, and on the basis of the findings obtained, possible guidelines are given, which, hopefully, may effectively contribute to the prevention of and/or intervention in compulsive buying among young adults.

Suggested Citation

  • José Manuel Otero-López & María José Santiago & María Cristina Castro, 2021. "Big Five Personality Traits, Coping Strategies and Compulsive Buying in Spanish University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:821-:d:482908
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. José Manuel Otero-López & María José Santiago & María Cristina Castro, 2021. "Life Aspirations, Generativity and Compulsive Buying in University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-15, July.
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    4. Jinjie Li & Jiayin Qi & Lianren Wu & Nan Shi & Xu Li & Yuxin Zhang & Yinyin Zheng, 2021. "The Continued Use of Social Commerce Platforms and Psychological Anxiety—The Roles of Influencers, Informational Incentives and FoMO," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-19, November.
    5. José Manuel Otero-López, 2022. "What Do We Know When We Know a Compulsive Buying Person? Looking at Now and Ahead," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Astrid Müller & Ekaterini Georgiadou & Annika Birlin & Nora M. Laskowski & Susana Jiménez-Murcia & Fernando Fernández-Aranda & Thomas Hillemacher & Martina de Zwaan & Matthias Brand & Sabine Steins-Lo, 2022. "The Relationship of Shopping-Related Decisions with Materialistic Values Endorsement, Compulsive Buying-Shopping Disorder Symptoms and Everyday Moral Decision Making," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-15, April.

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