The Psychology of Shoplifting: Development of a New Typology for Repeated Shoplifting

Clinical implications of a history of stealing on psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents

Background/Aim

To our knowledge, no case–control study has investigated the relationships between stealing, clinical implications, and psychiatric diagnosis among child and adolescent psychiatric patients with or without a history of stealing. Thus, the associations between child and adolescent psychiatric disorders and a history of stealing remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationships between stealing, clinical implications, and psychiatric diagnosis among child and adolescent psychiatric patients with or without a history of stealing.

Methods

In this retrospective case–control study, the proportions of clinical implications among child and adolescent psychiatric patients with and without a history of stealing were compared. Data regarding age, sex, primary diagnosis, junior high school student or not, both father and mother are the caregivers or not, family history, abuse history, school refusal, depressive state, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms were retrieved from medical records. Participants consisted of Japanese junior high school students and younger patients (maximum age, 15 years) at the first consultation. All patients were examined and diagnosed by psychiatrists according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, or the Fifth Edition. Stealing was reported by the patients or caregivers to the psychiatrist, or the psychiatrist had inquired about a history of stealing at the first consultation.

Results

Among 1972 patients who consulted the clinic, at the first consultation, 56 (2.84%) had a history of stealing (cases), and 1916 (97.16%) did not (controls). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the proportions of males, junior high school students, abuse history, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and conduct disorder were significantly higher, and the proportions of adjustment disorders and school refusal were significantly lower in cases than in controls. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio increased further when the two factors were considered together, such as ASD with abuse history and attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with abuse history.

Conclusions

Children with a history of stealing were more likely to be diagnosed with ASD or ADHD with abuse history. Child and adolescent psychiatric outpatients with a history of stealing were more likely to be older and male. Our study should be understood without prejudice because this study is reporting associations, not causality. Therefore, a prospective study to investigate causality among ADHD, ASD, abuse history, and stealing is needed. If ADHD and ASD with abuse history can be correlated to a history of stealing, interventions can be more effective by understanding the mechanisms underlying these connections.