The Relationship between Attachment Styles and Compulsive Online Shopping: The Mediating Roles of Family Functioning Patterns

Abstract

The rapid expansion of e-commerce has made the buying experience faster, potentially anonymous, and without limits of space and time. While this may produce benefits, for some individuals, online shopping can become an addiction. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the psychological factors that may be associated with Compulsive Online Shopping, with a specific focus on the role of Attachment Styles and Family Functioning patterns as risk or protective factors. The study involved a sample of 306 participants (Mage = 31.86 years, SD = 11.925) who filled out an online survey consisting of the Compulsive Online Shopping Scale, Relationship Questionnaire, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-IV, as well as a demographic questionnaire. The results showed two significant parallel mediation models. In the first one, Secure Attachment was negatively and significantly related to Compulsive Online Shopping, with the mediation of Cohesion and Enmeshed Family Functioning. In the second one, Fearful Attachment was positively and significantly related to Compulsive Online Shopping, with the mediation of Cohesion and Enmeshed Family Functioning. Important implications for preventive activity and tailored interventions may emerge from these data.

A pilot study on childhood trauma and love addiction: Exploring the mediation of unbalanced family functioning.

“…On the other hand, previous evidence has shown significant relationships between enmeshed, rigid, and chaotic family functioning and other addictive behaviors. This includes the association between (a) enmeshed/chaotic family functioning and problematic smartphone use (Jimeno et al, 2022), (b) enmeshed family functioning and compulsive online shopping (Topino et al, 2022), and (c) rigid family functioning and drug addiction (Zhang & Zeng, 2023). In sum, the relationship between physical abuse and love addiction occurs predominantly (and indirectly) through the mediation of the chaotic family functioning pattern, while the association between emotional abuse and love addiction occurs both directly and indirectly through the involvement of enmeshed, chaotic, and rigid family functioning patterns (consistent with H 4 ).…”

“…This model has demonstrated its utility in research in the field of addictions. For example, significant associations have been reported between the dimensions of the model and problematic online gambling (Topino et al, 2021), compulsive online shopping (Topino et al, 2022), problematic smartphone use (Mangialavori et al, 2021), and substance use (Wagner et al, 2010). However, to the best of the present authors’ knowledge, Olson’s (2000) circumflex model has not yet been applied to the study of love addiction in association with childhood trauma.…”

Love Addiction, Adult Attachment Patterns and Self-Esteem: Testing for Mediation Using Path Analysis

“…Evidence in the literature shows that a type of insecure attachment is a strong risk factor for substance use disorders [ 19 ] but also for symptoms of behavioral addictions [ 20 ], such as gambling disorder [ 21 ], problematic shopping [ 22 ], problematic social media use [ 23 ], and sexual addiction [ 24 ]. Insecure attachment is also associated with love addiction in the literature and, therefore, to a vision of love characterized by obsession and dependence, confirming the hypothesis that the dynamics of attachment are not limited to childhood, but rather remain throughout the course of life [ 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

An Integrated Approach to Addictive Behaviors: A Study on Vulnerability and Maintenance Factors

“…Gori and colleagues [ 5 ] elaborated an explanation of the relationship among these variables in gambling disorders by integrating previous scientific evidence [ 6 , 7 ]. Therefore, emphasis was placed on the experiences with caregivers and insecure attachment, and negative developmental environments were considered risk factors for addiction occurrence [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. These attachment failures might represent the source of childhood traumatic experiences [ 13 ] and deficits in emotion regulation skills [ 14 ], with difficulty modulating, processing, and communicating emotions (i.e., alexithymia; [ 15 ]) as a consequence; this condition, in turn, could lead to a defensive withdrawal into dissociated mental states to cope with painful emotions [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], which has been associated both theoretically and empirically with addictive behaviors [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”