Pathways to moral disengagement in youth: The role of empathy, self-esteem, and impulsivity across gender and age

Moral disengagement has received considerable attention because it contributes to understanding moral norm transgressions in youth. However, more robust explanatory models are still needed to clarify the psychological factors underlying moral disengagement and whether these processes differ by gender and age. The aim of this study was to examine the role of self-esteem, empathy, and impulsivity in moral disengagement among young people, considering the effects of age and gender. A total of 1,419 participants aged 16 to 30 years (M = 20.6, SD = 3.32) took part in the study; 971 were female (68.4%) and 448 male (31.6%). Sociodemographic data were collected, and moral disengagement, impulsivity, self-esteem, and empathy were assessed using validated instruments. Results showed that self-esteem, empathy, impulsivity, age, and gender jointly explained 20% of the variance in moral disengagement (R2 = .195, 95% CI [.164, .230], p = .001). In addition, impulsivity dimensions and emotional empathy mediated the associations with all total effects on moral disengagement being significant (p < .01). These findings provide social cognitive theory—based explanatory pathways of moral disengagement that may inform the development of intervention strategies for youth.