Exploring shopping tourism as an adjunct therapy to improve mental health: Evidence from PLS-SEM and NCA

Abstract

While previous tourism studies have examined mental health, additional research is necessary. Drawing on Rogers' theory of person-centered therapy and self-determination theory, this study explores shopping tourism as an adjunct therapy to improve mental health. 309 residents from Hong Kong who had shopping tourism experiences were surveyed. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) were adopted. The results showed that shopping hedonism, consisting of memorable and fashion shopping, and tourism escapism had specific effects on tourists' self-congruence and eventually enhanced mental health. While tourism escapism was shown through PLS-SEM to be non-significant in driving shopping tourists' self-congruence, it proved to be a necessary condition of such self-congruence in NCA. This study recommends that government agencies promote shopping tourism as a non-conventional way of enhancing people's mental health. Destinations can also attract shopping tourists from the perspective of promoting their mental health.