Temperament and early environmental influences in kleptomania

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.