Subtypes of firesetters

Abstract

Our five-cluster solution with five subtypes of firesetters partially validates the proposed M-TTAF trajectories and suggests that for offenders with and without mental disorder, this classification may be useful. If further validated with larger and more diverse samples, the M-TTAF could provide guidance on staging evidence-based treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Arsonists Suffering From Schizophrenia—A Description in Comparison with Other Offenders with a Similar Diagnosis

“…To test the hypotheses of this study, variables similar to those explored in extant research were identified (also see introduction and Supporting Information for a complete compilation of variables explored). Items were rated as being present whenever case files explicitly stated their presence or included diagnostic results proving their existence.…”

“…In keeping with the traditional research approach of exploring arsonists in terms of their motives, personal, and crime scene characteristics, while also drawing on specific research on arsonists with SSD, we further hypothesize arsonists with SSD will differ from other offender patients with SSD in terms of their personal (H1A) and crime scene (H1B) characteristics as well as criminal motives (H1C). To test these hypotheses, we used similar variables as have been used in the research cited above (see Supporting Information for a complete compilation of variables explored).…”

“…While arsonists suffering from SSD were repeatedly identified as a distinct subgroup in comparison with other criminals in general, to other firesetters , and to other firesetters experiencing a mental disorder, there is no research (to our knowledge) exploring the differences between arsonists suffering from SSD and other criminal offenders suffering from SSD. Thus, overall, it remains unresolved if and to what extent the identified differences between arsonists with SSD and other subgroups without SSD are due to specific characteristics of arsonists or merely due to the typical symptoms of schizophrenia.…”

“…In a large study including all convicted arsonists in Sweden between 1988 and 2000, while controlling for sociodemographic factors, male arsonists were 22.6 times and female arsonists 38.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than the general population . Using cluster analysis, recent research on 389 firesetters described the largest one of the five identified subgroups to suffer from “psychotic disorders” and recommended a different treatment approach for this subgroup . Comparing psychotic firesetters (almost ¼ of the total sample) with nonpsychotic firesetters, psychotic firesetters were older, more likely to be single, unemployed, with an extensive history of prior convictions, mental health problems, and illegal substance use (including the time of setting a fire) .…”

Juvenile animal cruelty and firesetting behaviour

“…There has been a tendency in criminological and mental health literature to couple animal cruelty and firesetting as precursors to particularly adverse mental health and/or violent outcomes (Becker et al, ; Dalhuisen et al, ; Lindberg et al, ; Miller, ), but the rarity of each of these behaviours makes them elusive to study. Epidemiological studies based on the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data, for instance, indicate a lifetime prevalence of animal cruelty of 1.8% (Vaughn et al, ) and of 1% for firesetting (Vaughn et al, ).…”