The article presents the construction and results of a study aimed to validate a questionnaire (Problematic Shopping Scale, PSS) devised to assess buying behavior. The questionnaire, in its final form, is composed of 22 item and shows good internal consistency. The factor analysis shows the existence of two main dimensions accounting for 44.84% of the total variance. The study confirms the reliability and validity of the instrument, and its consistency with the model, therefore it can be considered a good psychometric tool suitable to assess problematic buying behavior. Also, it is an instrument easy to administer because require no special training, and it is useful for epidemiological studies and in a screening procedure to be followed by a scoping phase.
Keywords: Compulsive shopping, addiction, assessment, reliability, validation, Problematic Shopping Scale.