Motherhood and Treatment Outcome in Female Patients with Compulsive Buying–Shopping Disorder

Abstract

Motherhood has been proposed as an internal facilitating factor for the recovery of women with mental disorders. However, at the same time, there are significant barriers that may be interfering with the access and adherence to treatment for these women. The present longitudinal study aimed to deepen the sociodemographic and clinical profile of women with children and compulsive buying–shopping disorder (CBSD), and to explore the association between motherhood and response to treatment. The total sample included 77 women with a diagnosis of CBSD (n = 49 mothers) who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for 12 weeks. No association between psychopathology and motherhood was observed. The group of mothers reported an older age of onset of the CBSD, a lower amount of money spent per compulsive-buying episode, and a higher likelihood of family support for the CBSD. Moreover, this group showed lower risk of relapse. The findings support the theoretical proposal that considers motherhood as an internal facilitating factor for recovery and treatment adherence of mothers with addictions.