Retrospective Study of Fire Setting Among Boys in a Child Welfare Sample. (July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brereton, Alexandra L.; Lamade, Raina V.; Lee, Austin F.; Schuler, Ann; Prentky, Robert A.
• Is Part Of: Youth violence and juvenile justice. Volume 18:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 256
• Page End: 273
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Subjects: fire setting -- juveniles -- psychopathology -- antisocial behaviors; Youth and violence -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile justice, Administration of -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Juvenile corrections -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.360973
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204020906425
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-2040

Abstract

This study aimed to assess fire-setting behaviors within a child welfare sample. The youth were divided into four groups based on their fire-setting behavior (e.g., no incidents, one incident, multiple minor incidents, and multiple severe incidents). Groups were compared based on five factors: overt antisocial behavior, covert antisocial behavior, global adjustment, psychiatric history, and learning deficits. Fire setters displayed more delinquent behavior and had more extensive psychiatric histories than non-fire-setting youth. Further, the youth with multiple serious incidents of fire-setting behavior displayed more delinquent behavior and had more extensive psychiatric histories than any of the fire-setting groups. These findings clearly suggest that fire setters, as a group, are not homogeneous with respect to antisocial behavior or psychiatric impairment and that gravity of fire setting increased as a function of greater psychopathology and greater delinquency when compared to their peers.