Chronic negative circumstances and compulsive buying: consumer vulnerability after a natural disaster

This research is composed of two cross-sectional studies that examine the lingering emotional distress associated with a natural disaster and extend the understanding of its impact on consumption attitudes and behaviors when victims are confronted with additional challenges. The first study examines victims' ( n = 426) depression-induced impulsive and compulsive buying after Hurricane Katrina; the second investigates how the recession has exacerbated victims' ( n = 191) lingering stress and depressive states, and the effects of these on consumption. These historical events provide a unique opportunity to extend the life event and disaster research and to examine the relationship between negative events and specific consumer behaviors. Results indicate that, years later, compulsive buying has not subsided, and the adversity brought on by the recession appears to have contributed to extended depressive states. Implications for marketers and public policy makers are discussed, as they relate to how vulnerable consumers cope with negative life events.