1.1 Introduction
The lifetime prevalence of stealing appears fairly high. A recent, large epidemiological study of adults found that 11.3% of the general population admitted to having shoplifted in their lifetimes (Blanco, et al., 2008). This finding is consistent with estimates by the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention that 1 in 11 (9.1%) people have shoplifted during their lifetime. Stealing in adults has been associated with other antisocial behaviors, psychiatric comorbidity (e.g., substance use disorders, pathological gambling, and bipolar disorder), and impaired psychosocial functioning. Stealing appears to start generally in childhood or adolescence, with approximately 66% of individuals who reported lifetime stealing beginning before age 15 years (Blanco, et al., 2008).
Despite the early age of onset of stealing, as well as the significant adult morbidity associated with this behavior, stealing among adolescents has historically received relatively little attention from clinicians and researchers. Limited research suggests that adolescents who steal have impairments in problem-solving skills and a cognitive bias toward inappropriate solutions to problems. Other research suggests that parent-child difficulties, school failure, and negative peer influences underlie adolescent stealing (Greening, 1997).
Recognizing possible differences in stealing severity among adolescents may have clinical and health implications. It is also important to recognize associations between stealing and health variables as identifying and treating the stealing behavior may significantly improve the prognosis of other behaviors.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Statement of Problems
Although stealing may be fairly common, it is unclear how many adolescents who steal suffer from kleptomania. Kleptomania, characterized by a diminished ability to resist recurrent impulses to steal objects that are not needed for their monetary or personal use, has been relatively understudied across the lifespan and particularly in adolescents with propensities for stealing.
In the present study, we assessed a large sample of public High School Students regarding stealing behaviors. Although previous research suggests that stealing and antisocial behaviors are linked, no study has systematically examined the relationship of stealing to a range of behaviors and health functioning.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the Causes and Remedies of Stealing among Secondary Schools Students in Gwagwalada Area Council. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to:
- Examine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of different severity levels of stealing in adolescents;
- Investigate health correlates in High School Students who steal; and
- Examine the different severity levels and clinical characteristics of stealing and determine differences in students whose stealing merits the diagnosis of kleptomania.
1.4 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of different severity levels of stealing in adolescents?
- What is the health correlates in High School Students who steal?
- What is the different severity levels and clinical characteristics of stealing and determine differences in students whose stealing merits the diagnosis of kleptomania?
1.5 Scope of the Study
This scope of this research is focused on the causes and remedies of stealing among High School Students in Gwagwalada Area Council F.C.T. Abuja, Nigeria.
1.6 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection.
1.8 Definition of Technical Terms
Stealing: to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully stole a car.
Cause: a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition.
Adolescence: the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.
Factor: a circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result.
Council: an advisory, deliberative, or administrative body of people formally constituted and meeting regularly.
Secondary: coming after, less important than, or resulting from someone or something else that is primary.
School: an institution for educating children.
Student: a person who is studying at a university or other place of higher education.
Management: It is the discipline of planning co-coordinating, organizing, controlling, leading, forecasting, securing and managing resources to being about the successful completion of specific project goals and Objectives.
Kleptomania: is the recurrent inability to resist urges to steal items that you generally don't really need and that usually have little value.
