Anxiety, significant losses, depression, and irrational beliefs in first-offence shoplifters.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship among demographic data, anxiety, significant losses, depression, and irrational beliefs reported by first-offence shoplifters.


METHODS
One hundred and six adult shoplifters who were first-time offenders completed a self-administered questionnaire.


RESULTS
Men and women were equally likely to be arrested for this offence. The majority of offenders were poor and unemployed. Depression, but not anxiety, was the most common psychiatric disorder associated with shoplifting. Subjects with depression presented the greatest number of irrational beliefs related to shoplifting.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors suggest 2 categories of shoplifters: those who shoplift through rational choice; and those for whom shoplifting is a response to depression or leads to the fulfillment of some psychological needs. In conclusion, shoplifting does not have a unitary motive, and the clinical implications are that the affective and cognitive aspects of shoplifters' behaviours must be taken into account.
Lamontagne
Y
Y
Department of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Quebec.
Boyer
R
R
Hétu
C
C
Lacerte-Lamontagne
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D002170:Canada; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013800:Theft / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data