SEARCH · Search PubMed
Results for “Firesetting Behavior”
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Arsonists in maximum security: mental state at time of firesetting and relationship between mental disorder and pattern of behaviour.
Seventy-nine arsonists were identified in a Special Hospital. Sixty-eight had a clinical interview which included an analysis of symptoms present at the time of the most recent fire. Mentally ill arsonists did not differ from Psychopathic Disorder arsonists in their self-report of symptoms at the time of firesetting, the major difference was in the time course of their behaviour. Mentally ill arsonists lit their first fire on average eight years later than did Psychopathic Disorder patients. Further analysis indicates that PD women have a distinct group of current symptoms and behaviours.
A psychosocial approach to arson--a case controlled study of female offenders.
Few studies of arsonists have focused specifically on females, many of whom have historically avoided prosecution. This study examines demographic details, psychopathology and personality characteristics of female arsonists and violent offenders in custody and compares them with an age matched group of comparison females. A significantly greater number of arsonists admitted to a history of deliberate self-harm and to sexual abuse as a child. The results emphasize the degree of psychosocial disadvantage in female arsonists and fit the model of displaced aggression in that female arsonists in this study are found to be less assertive and may displace their aggression onto property due to their inability to confront people directly. This channelling of aggression may be seen as an attempt to influence their environment and improve their self-esteem where other means have failed. Many of the findings match those of a previous study of male Special Hospital arsonists and indicate the need for larger studies within prison and hospital settings. Based on the potential areas for clinical intervention, prospective treatment studies of arsonists offer exciting implications in terms of risk management and may begin to address the needs of this severely disadvantaged group.
Personality and neuropsychological function in violent, sexual and arson offenders.
We aimed to test the hypothesis that incarcerated offender populations will not differ in neuropsychological test performance if patients are matched on age, intelligence and personality profile, particularly if impulsive aggressive traits and confounds such as substance misuse and performance anxiety are controlled for. 27 violent offenders, 20 sex offenders and 13 arson offenders detained in maximum security hospitals completed dimensional assessments of personality function and were assessed on a battery of frontal and temporal neuropsychological tests. All patients completed a variety of self-report measures of cognitive, affective and behavioural dispositions relevant to offender populations. Trait impulsivity was further assessed and composite impulsivity scores were derived. Assessments of emotional state were administered prior to neuropsychological testing. All patients met the criteria for a DSM-III-R personality disorder diagnosis. There were no significant group differences in age, IQ, or educational attainment. There were no differences in the personality profile of the offender group although sex offenders scored higher on trait anxiety, depression and tension measures. Groups did not significantly differ in their performance on neuropsychological tests apart from poorer perseverative error scores on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test in arsonists, which could not be accounted for by state anxiety or depression scores.
Motives for arson (fire raising).
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Differences in the medical and legal viewpoint illustrated by R v Hardie [1984].
The case of R. v Hardie [1984] creates an important precedent and is cited in the current edition of Archbold (1989). It is argued that the pharmacological issues discussed therein contain errors that seem to go to the heart of the judgment, which illustrates the differences between the legal and scientific viewpoint.
Triplets where monozygotic siblings are concordant for arson.
Triplets are described where the two genetically identical brothers are arsonists and both have sociopathic personality disorder rated using the Personality Assessment Schedule. The third, non-identical brother has not committed arson and does not have a personality disorder.
Fire--'good servant--bad master'.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Pathological fire-setting 1951-1991: a review.
The purpose of this article is to review the whole literature on pathological fire-setting and related fields since 1951 in order to present a state of the art picture of our contemporary knowledge about this phenomenon. Papers were initially selected by using a Medline search. From the articles obtained in this way the references had to be pursued, because many relevant papers and books in this research field of different scientific and practical disciplines are not listed in conventional literature services. Finally, only those contributions were selected which provided new information when published, by original research, theoretical interpretation or practical implications. The last forty years have brought a growing body of data and understanding--especially concerning pathological fire-setting by children--etiology, and therapy, which often proves successful. The situation remains unclear for arson by psychologically disturbed adults and we still have a poor understanding of arson without apparent motive. There is a conflict of opinion as to whether adult fire-setters are suitable for therapy and therapeutic efforts dealing with psychologically disturbed adults are rare. With increasing knowledge about child fire-setting and its successful treatment, etiological and therapeutic models for adult fire-setting behaviour may be developed. Research into the latter area should focus on both biographical and social conditions of development from childhood on as well as biological measures. Both will be reviewed here.
A psychiatric study of adult arsonists.
A series of 153 adult arsonists is described with particular reference to motives for fire-raising and psychiatric diagnosis. All had been referred for pretrial psychiatric reports and were assessed by routine clinical methods, supplemented where possible by the Personality Assessment Schedule. The series comprised mainly men, and most were relatively young, although these are also the characteristics of criminals in general. Most suffered from some form of mental disorder. Half of them had a personality disorder and a tenth were mentally handicapped. In addition to the mentally handicapped, a further 13 per cent had a history of special schooling, so that arsonists with some educational or learning difficulties made up a quarter of the total. Revenge was the most common motive, although present in only a third of the total, and the sexual element in motivation was much less common than appears to have been the case in the past. The motive of re-housing, not previously identified, was more common in women than in men. Almost two-thirds of the properties set on fire were domestic dwellings, and over a third of arsonists were intoxicated when they started the fires. Suggestions are made for further research focusing on personality characteristics which may be associated with fire-setting.
Treatment of a man with a mild learning disability who was sexually assaulted whilst in prison.
The aim of this study is to describe the psychological effects on a man with a mild learning disability who was sexually assaulted whilst in prison, and the treatment which was carried out. J. suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as defined in DSM-III-R, combined with associated features of depression and anxiety. Treatment involved imaginal exposure to the assault, followed by systematic desensitization to the traumatic experience of imprisonment preceding the assault. Activities were also carried out to develop J.'s self-esteem, coping strategies and anxiety management. The successful outcome of treatment is discussed in relation to models of emotional processing. Some discrepancies between scores on self-evaluation questionnaires and behavioural observations raise issues concerning the best way of assessing treatment outcome for people with learning disabilities.
Forensic investigations in an arson case.
A case of arson is presented from the State of Himachal Pradesh, India. The case was initially reported as an accidental fire due to electrical short circuiting but was suspected by the police to be arson as Government money worth 1.32 lakh rupees was also stated to have been burned in the fire. Forensic investigations proved the case to be arson but no currency notes had been burned in the fire.
Up in smoke--the psychology of arson.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The quarantine war: the burning of the New York Marine Hospital in 1858.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Applying social learning theory to childhood and adolescent firesetting: can it lead to serial murder?
Despite the fact that serial murder has existed for centuries, it has been given little academic attention in the social science literature. Existing studies have primarily examined the motivational factors involved in the commission of serial murder. However, research examining the childhood and adolescent backgrounds of serial murderers is scant. Based on three case studies of serial murderers, this study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the possible link between childhood and/or adolescent fire setting and adult serial murder by applying social learning theory.
Fire fetishism in a female arsonist?
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Is arson an aggressive act or a property offence? A controlled study of psychiatric referrals.
Arsonists seen for psychiatric assessment were compared to property offenders and to violent offenders on a number of clinical measures. It was found that arsonists were a mixture of the two groups but the majority aligned with property offenders in personality, diagnosis, criminal and violence history, family background, alcohol and drug use as well as in sexual behaviour. Significantly 18% of arsonists were mentally retarded. The act of arson was examined in detail using reliable ratings. While there was no obvious motive in two-fifths of the cases, revenge with underlying anger was most frequently a recognized motive for arson. The provocateur for the act of arson was not always readily identifiable and in over half the cases more than one person or an institution was the stimulus for the fire. Directions for future study were discussed.