SELF-REGULATION, MORAL COGNITION, AND EDUCATIONAL ADJUSTMENT IN ADOLESCENT KLEPTOMANIA AND RELATED IMPULSIVE STEALING BEHAVIOURS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Adolescent kleptomania and related impulsive stealing behaviours have traditionally been examined within psychiatric and clinical frameworks emphasizing impulse-control difficulties and behavioural dysregulation. However, increasing attention within educational and developmental psychology suggests that these behaviours may also be associated with broader psychosocial processes involving self-regulation, moral cognition, and educational adjustment. Despite growing interdisciplinary interest, systematic syntheses integrating these perspectives remain limited. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines to synthesize evidence concerning adolescent kleptomania and related impulsive stealing behaviours from psychosocial and educational perspectives. Literature searches were conducted across ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 24 studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis. Narrative thematic synthesis was employed to identify recurring patterns and relationships across the evidence base.

Four major themes emerged: (1) self-regulation deficits and impulsive behavioural control; (2) moral cognition, moral disengagement, and socio-moral development; (3) educational adjustment, school functioning, and learner wellbeing; and (4) environmental influences involving family, peers, and school contexts. The findings suggest that adolescent kleptomania and related impulsive stealing behaviours are associated with multidimensional vulnerabilities involving emotional regulation, executive functioning, psychosocial development, and educational participation. Educational settings emerged as important contexts for early identification, behavioural support, counselling intervention, and psychosocial assistance. The review highlights the value of moving beyond exclusively psychiatric conceptualizations toward integrated developmental and educational understandings that recognise the interaction of individual, social, and contextual influences. The findings underscore the need for school-based prevention strategies, interdisciplinary support systems, and further empirical research examining the educational manifestations and psychosocial determinants of impulsive stealing behaviours among adolescents.