Social-cognitive mechanisms of moral disengagement, sex differences and psychological predictors in young populations

The theory of moral disengagement has been useful in explaining disruptive social behavior in young people, showing differences between men and women. However, there are no studies regarding the association of psychological factors, such as impulsivity, self-esteem, anxiety, and moral disengagement. Therefore, we analyzed sex differences and psychological predictors of moral disengagement mechanisms in young people. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative, and correlational study. The participants were 1,419 young people aged 16 to 30 years (M=20.6, SD=3.32) who answered the moral disengagement mechanisms questionnaire (MMDS), the Barratt impulsivity scale (BIS-11), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). A Student's t-test showed that men had higher scores on moral disengagement mechanisms and self-esteem, and women had higher scores on anxiety. Moral disengagement mechanisms were found to correlate inversely with self-esteem, but directly with impulsivity and anxiety. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that self-contempt, impulsivity, anxiety, and sex had the highest effects on predicting moral disengagement and mechanisms. These effects were similar in men and women. This study provided important information on the influence of psychological factors not explored in previous studies on the understanding of moral agency in young people. The results offer innovative theoretical explanations in a line of research aimed at linking psychological, clinical, and cognitive-social perspectives, with major implications for psychosocial intervention with young people.