title: Temperament and early environmental influences in kleptomania.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to shed light on the temperament and early life experiences of people suffering from kleptomania. Twelve outpatients (five men [41.6%]; seven women [58.3%]; mean age, 39.6 +/- 11.0 years) who met DSM-IV criteria for kleptomania and had no other axis I disorders by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Patients with kleptomania had significantly higher novelty-seeking scores (P =.001), higher harm-avoidance scores (P =.005), and lower reward-dependence scores (P =.023) than normal controls. The kleptomania subjects had significantly lower maternal and paternal care scores, and lower maternal protection scores, than the normative values (P <.05). Neither TPQ nor PBI scores correlated with illness severity. These findings suggest that an understanding of early parenting behavior and a dimensional approach to the personality of kleptomaniacs may offer insight into this disorder and provide clues to treatment strategies.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis 55454-1495, USA.
authors: Jon E
authors: JE
authors: Grant
authors: Suck Won
authors: SW
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012931:Social Environment; D013694:Temperament