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Results for “Firesetting Behavior”

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PubMed1984

Children who light fires: a comparison between firesetters and non-firesetters referred to a child psychiatric outpatient service.

This study compares firesetting children with an age- and sex-matched group of non-firesetting children referred to a child psychiatric outpatient service. Firesetting was associated with male sex, separated parents and with previous contact with welfare agencies. It was not associated with socioeconomic status. Firesetters were distinguished from the contrast group by higher levels of conduct disordered behaviour, particularly in children above the age of 11 years. Both groups had similar high levels of emotional disorder at all ages. These clinical features emphasise that firesetters have a mixed clinical picture with widespread psychopathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Psychiatric aspects of arsonists.

Arson is a major source of property damage, injury and death in the United States. Many people who commit arson have extensive psychiatric histories and symptoms at the time of their fire-setting. However, traditionally the law enforcement community and the mental health community have not shared information about the characteristics of people who set fires. This study examined mental health records and/or prison files from 283 arsonists. 90% of arsonists had recorded mental health histories, and of those 36% had the major mental illness of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 64% were abusing alcohol or drugs at the time of their firesetting. Pyromania was only diagnosed in three of the 283 cases. Different motives for setting fires are discussed; many patients were both angry and delusional. A survey instrument, which captures both psychiatric and legal data, is included. Suggestions are made for gathering future "profiling" information. A matrix approach to coding diagnosis and behavior is presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Children who set fires: the clinical picture and a follow-up.

The study concerns 46 children who had set at least one fire and had been admitted to a psychiatric ward. Their firesetting behaviour has been related to variables such as age, IQ, and psychiatric disorder in parents, and to the distinction between children who present with firesetting as their chief problem and those in whom it is a secondary complaint. Thirty subjects were followed up after one to five years. Seven, all boys and all less than 13 years old, were still setting fires, but these were less serious than the ones set before treatment. The persistent firesetters may have come from less stable homes and they tended to be more antisocial at follow-up than children who no longer set fires.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Assessment of dimensions of childhood firesetting among patients and nonpatients: the Firesetting Risk Interview.

A model of firesetting risk poses that high curiosity, involvement in fire-related activities, exposure to peer/parental models, limited knowledge and skill related to fires, and poor parental supervision, among other features, are characteristic of firesetters. To operationalize several domains of the model, the Firesetting Risk Interview (FRI) for parents was developed consisting of 15 a priori dimensions. To provide a partial test of the measure and its generality across children with and without clinical dysfunction, 343 children (ages 6-13) and parents were drawn from samples of nonpatients (nonreferred), outpatients, and inpatients. In accord with the model, firesetters and nonfiresetters were found to differ in their curiosity about fire, recent involvement in fire-related activities, expression of negative emotions, early experiences with fire, exposure to others' involvement with fire, and parents' use of general disciplinary consequences. These group differences did not interact with the child's clinical status, level of antisocial behavior, or demographic background.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Child firesetters: a study of three populations.

Child firesetting constitutes a serious and widespread problem, yet little definitive evidence exists distinguishing child firesetters from their nonfiresetting peers. The authors studied the characteristics of 186 firesetters and 165 age- and sex-matched controls at two state psychiatric hospitals for children, six community mental health centers, and a children's medical hospital. Their findings failed to corroborate results of other studies that have suggested correlations between firesetting and enuresis, sexual conflicts, low intelligence, large family size, economic deprivation, adoption, and a diagnosis of psychosis. However, the study did support the finding, reported in other studies, that firesetters tend to have conduct problems, such as disobedience and aggressiveness, and it also found that firesetters experienced significantly more emotional neglect and physical abuse. The results underscore the importance of parental nurturing and early intervention for children who are abused and neglected.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment and fire safety education for children who set fires: initial and follow-up outcomes.

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) and fire safety education (FSE) for children who had set a recent fire was evaluated. Assessments were conducted with 38 children who were randomly assigned to CBT or FSE and with another 16 children who received a brief intervention (home visit from a firefighter or HVF) that paralleled routine services. Measures in four domains related to the child's fire history were obtained from children and their parents at pre-treatment, post-assessment, and 1-year follow-up. There were several improvements at post-treatment for all conditions on measures of fire involvement, interest, and risk. However, CBT and FSE were more efficacious than HVF on certain measures, including the frequency of firesetting and proportion of children playing with matches, severity of individualized problems with fire, and involvement in fire-related acts and other deviant fire activities. These and other group differences, along with certain time effects, were evident at 1-year follow-up. The findings from this initial comparison study are discussed in the context of needed clinical and research directions for work with firesetters and their families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Inpatient psychiatric treatment of a young recidivist firesetter.

The inpatient psychiatric treatment and 1-year follow-up of a recidivist child firesetter with multiple clinical and behavioral problems is described. This case was unique due to the child's young age and both the severity and frequency of firesetting. The focus of therapy was on teaching fire safety skills and concepts to alter the child's interest in and involvement with fire. Other elements of the therapy targeted associated antisocial behavior and depression. At 1-year follow-up, the child had not engaged in additional firesetting. This case highlights the need to provide a comprehensive assessment of firesetting, understand its relationship to psychopathology, and offer specialized interventions.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed2004

A study of firesetting and animal cruelty in children: family influences and adolescent outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationships among family risk factors, childhood firesetting and animal cruelty, and adolescent delinquency. METHOD: In 1990, mothers and children participating in a 10-year prospective study provided information about family risk factors and childhood problem behavior. Subsequent interviews with 86% of the sample in 1996 and 1998 and court record reviews in 2000 provided information about juvenile delinquency. RESULTS: Marital violence (odds ratio [OR] 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-5.4), paternal pet abuse (OR 2.4, CI = 1.0-5.6), and paternal drinking (r = 0.14) were related to firesetting, whereas exposure to marital violence (OR 2.3, CI = 1.0-5.1) and paternal (r = 0.19) and maternal harsh parenting (r = 0.14) were associated with animal cruelty. Regression analyses indicated that after controlling for conduct disorder, firesetters were 3.0 times (CI = 1.3-6.7) at risk of juvenile court referral and 3.3 times (CI = 1.4-7.6) at risk of arrest for a violent crime. Analysis of self-reports of delinquency replicated these results. Animal cruelty was related to self-reported violent crime (beta = 0.16). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that family variables increase the likelihood of childhood firesetting and animal cruelty and that these behaviors are related to adolescent delinquency.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed1977

Approaching a comparative typology of assaultive female offenders.

This two-part study explores the potential for assaultive behavior in females. The first part compares assaultive and nonassaultive female offenders for the presence of specific historical variables, and finds several significant differences. In the second part, the total female offender sample is compared with a male offender sample for presence of the same variables. The nearly equal incidence of several variables in both samples, such as persistent enuresis and firesetting, suggests a need for reassessment of some traditional theoretical formulations.

Adolescent↗