title: Characteristics of online compulsive buying in Parisian students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Online compulsive buying is a little-studied behavioral disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To better understand its clinical aspects by focusing on (i) prevalence rate, (ii) correlation with other addictions, (iii) influence of means of access, (iv) motivations to shop to the internet and (v) financial and time-consuming consequences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 students in two different centers of Paris Diderot University - Paris VII.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brief self-questionnaires, to screen online compulsive buying, internet addiction, alcohol and tobacco use disorders, to rate frequency of online purchase by private-sale websites, by advertising banners, by mobile phone or to avoid stores, to rate motivations like "more discreet", "lonelier", "larger variety of products", "more immediate positive feelings", and "cheaper" and to assess the largest amount of online purchasing and the average proportion of monthly earnings, and time spent, both day and night.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of online compulsive buying was 16.0%, while prevalence of internet addiction was 26.0%. We found no significant relationship with cyberdependence, alcohol or tobacco use disorders. Online compulsive buyers accessed more often shopping online by private-sale websites (56.2% vs 30.5%, p<0.0001) or by mobile phone (22.5% vs 7.9%, p=0.005) and preferred online shopping because of exhaustive offer (p<0.0001) and immediate positive feelings (p<0.0001). Online compulsive buyers spent significantly more money and more time in online shopping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Online compulsive buying seems to be a distinctive behavioral disorder with specific factors of loss of control and motivations, and overall financial and time-consuming impacts. More research is needed to better characterize it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Addictive Medicine, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France. Electronic address: davidduroy@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duroy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Addictive Medicine, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorse
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Addictive Medicine, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lejoyeux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010297:Paris / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Behavioral disorder; Internet addiction; Online compulsive buying