Compulsive buying and risky behavior among adolescents.

Using a scale designed to measure compulsive buying of adolescents, a survey was conducted to assess the relationships of compulsive buying with several risky behaviors among 111 adolescents between the ages of 12 to 19 years. The correlations suggest that self-report measures of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use, and likelihood of engaging in premarital sex were all significantly associated (rs = .30 to .32) with compulsive buying among teenagers. Implications of the results are discussed, and directions for research are offered.