Andrea Silbermann

Pathologisches Kaufen und psychische Komorbidität

Compulsive buying is an excessive behavior that has begun to receive attention from researchers in recent years. The current study provides an overview of research on compulsive buying and examines the psychiatric co-morbidity in a German female treatment seeking compulsive buying sample in comparison with age and gender-matched normal buying control groups. Thirty women suffering from compulsive buying disorder, 30 community controls, and 30 bariatric surgery candidates were assessed with the German versions of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV diagnoses (SCID). Women with compulsive buying disorder showed significantly higher prevalence rates of affective, anxiety, and eating disorders compared to community controls, and suffered significantly more often from affective and anxiety disorders compared to bariatric surgery candidates. The compulsive buying group presented with the highest rates of personality disorders, most commonly avoidant, depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline personality disorder, and reported the highest prevalence rates of other impulse control disorders, especially for intermittent explosive disorder. The findings suggest an elevated psychiatric co-morbidity in patients with compulsive buying disorder.

The application of ecological momentary assessment to the study of compulsive buying

Although compulsive buying is a disorder that has begun to receive attention from researchers in recent years, relatively little is known about the relationship between compulsive buying, mood, and daily stressful events. In our pilot study ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to examine the described relationships for the first time. 26 patients, who met criteria for compulsive buying, self-monitored their pathological behaviour, their momentary mood and the occurrence of stressful events four times a day on a handheld computer for a period of two weeks. On days with excessive buying behaviour patients reported significantly more daily stressful events compared to days without pathological buying. Before the buying episode patients recorded significantly more positive emotions. The most common consequence of compulsive buying was a significant decrease of positive affects. Thus the results of the current study suggest that mood states and daily stressful events are associated with compulsive buying behaviour. Although mood got worse immediately after excessive buying, this negative consequence did not reduce the frequency of pathological behaviour. This could implicate a high presence-orientation and impulsivity of the patients.

Psychische und kontextuelle Belastungen, Motivationsfaktoren und Bedürfnisse von haupt- und ehrenamtlichen Flüchtlingshelfern

In the psychosomatic department of the University Hospital of Erlangen trainings were conducted for active refugee aid workers with start in January, 2016. Meanwhile 49 helpers participated in the training and 45 of them filled out a survey questionnaire. Perceived distress when providing care for refugees, as well as engagement motivation and further training needs were explored. Furthermore, depressive symptoms as well as the prevalence of traumatic experiences were investigated. The main burden was experienced through lacking freedom of action on the background of legal regulations. Furthermore dissociative symptoms (15.4%) and aggressive behavior (26.9%) of refugees were reported as distress factors. To help others proved to be the highest motivator for their work with refugees. Only 2 workers (4.4%) showed elevated depressive symptom manifestations. In contrast, 93.3% of refugee helpers had experienced a traumatic event personally or as a witness. For the helpers the greatest training needs were the recognition of mental health problems and to learn concrete intervention strategies to help those affected.

Psychotherapie bei pathologischem Kaufverhalten

Ziel: Die Wirksamkeit einer storungsspezifischen kognitiv-behavioralen Gruppentherapie (KVT) bei pathologischem Kaufverhalten wurde in einem kontrollierten Versuchsplan uberpruft. Methode: Insgesamt 60 Patienten wurden behandelt (Versuchsgruppe n=31, Kontrollgruppe n=29). Die Behandlung erfolgte ambulant in wochentlichen 90-minutigen Gruppensitzungen uber einen Zeitraum von 12 Wochen. Primare Outcome-Variablen waren: Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS), Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Shopping Version (Y-BOCS-SV) und Screeningverfahren zur Erhebung von kompensatorischem und suchtigem Kaufverhalten (SKSK). Die psychologische Diagnostik erfolgte vor Beginn und nach der Therapie sowie bei einer 6-Monats-Katamnese. Resultate: Multivariate Analysen ergaben eine signifikante Verbesserung der primaren Outcome-Variablen CBS, Y-BOCS-SV und SKSK in der Versuchsgruppe (outcome-time-group effect, Pillaisrsquor; trace, F=6.960, df=1, p=.002). Diese Verbesserung war auch zur 6-Monats-Katamnese noch stabil. Eine logistische Regressionsanalyse zeigte, dass signifikante Pradiktoren fur den Therapieerfolg eine hohere Anzahl besuchter Therapiesitzungen und ein geringeres Ausmas zwanghaften Hortens vor Therapiebeginn, erfasst mit dem Saving Inventory-Revised, waren. Diskussion: Storungsspezifische Verhaltenstherapie kann pathologisches Kaufverhalten verbessern. Die Uberprufung der Wirksamkeit i. R. einer Effectiveness-Studie ware sinnvoll.