Deliberate Firesetting Research Articles

Comparing the characteristics of firesetting and non-firesetting adults in a New Zealand un-apprehended community sample

This study examines the prevalence of deliberate firesetting in an un-apprehended New Zealand sample and factors that differentiate firesetting and non-firesetting individuals. An anonymous online survey assessing demographic and background characteristics, history of firesetting and psychological characteristics was advertised on Facebook community groups and pinboards across New Zealand. A total of 626 adults completed the survey. One-hundred and three participants (16.45%) self-reported having deliberately set at least one fire over the age of 14 years. When controlling for all other variables in a logistic regression model, having a high-school qualification as the highest level of educational attainment (odds ratio, OR = 2.24), history of a mental health diagnosis (OR = 1.91), fearful attachment style (OR = 1.16) and fire interest (OR = 1.05) showed the strongest unique association with un-apprehended firesetting. Further research is needed to examine the full range of behavioural and psychological characteristics associated with un-apprehended firesetting.

Single versus multiple firesetting: an examination of demographic, behavioural and psychological factors

Deliberate firesetting is a prevalent issue. While a number of psychological treatment needs have been identified for adults who set fires, their association with multiple firesetting has received limited attention. This study examined whether demographics, offence histories, firesetting behaviours and psychometric assessments of psychological vulnerabilities hypothesised to be associated with firesetting discriminate between adults who have set only one fire and those who have set multiple fires. Participants (N =128) were recruited from prisons and categorised according to whether they self-reported having set only a single fire (n = 60) or multiple fires (n = 68) as an adult. Our findings provide evidence that identification with fire, antisocial attitudes and anger-related cognition and arousal are associated with multiple firesetting, and therefore represent key treatment targets for interventions. Furthermore, a history of setting fires within prison was the largest unique predictor of multiple firesetting (odds ratio, OR = 6.83), highlighting the urgent need for research on institutional firesetting.

The Development and Validation of the Firesetting Questionnaire

This research developed and evaluated a measure to examine fire-specific constructs relevant to fire misuse. In the first study, using UK community members asked to disclose deliberate firesetting, we tested a large pool of theoretically informed questionnaire items. First, we found that 1 in 10 adults reported setting a deliberate fire that they had not been apprehended for. Then, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested an eight-factor measure with broader coverage of theoretically-informed risk factors, relative to previous measures, and acceptable test item validity and robust internal consistencies. In the second study, we tested the Firesetting Questionnaire with imprisoned men who held a record of firesetting and imprisoned and community comparisons. The findings illustrated psychometric robustness. Our results suggest that the Firesetting Questionnaire has the potential to be a useful clinical tool for highlighting fire-specific treatment needs and informing clinical formulation and associated risk management.

Clinicians’ perceptions of virtual reality for firesetting

PurposeVirtual reality (VR) is a novel technology that could be used in the assessment and/or treatment of deliberate firesetting. This study aims to develop an understanding of clinicians’ views of VR for deliberate firesetting, to identify areas where VR could potentially add value to current practice and any particular barriers to using VR in this context.Design/methodology/approachThrough an online survey, 73 clinicians rated their agreement with nine potential benefits of using VR for firesetting and 11 potential barriers to using it. They also provided free text responses detailing the greatest perceived potential benefit and the greatest perceived barrier. Factors related to intent to use VR for firesetting in the future were explored.FindingsClinicians perceived the ability to safely expose clients to fire-related stimuli to be highly beneficial. However, clinicians were concerned about the possibility of re-traumatisation and logistic barriers. Previous experience of using VR with individuals who have set fires was significantly related to using it in the future.Practical implicationsFurther research establishing the feasibility and effectiveness of using VR with individuals who have set fires may help alleviate clinicians’ concerns. Increasing opportunities for clinicians to experience a firesetting VR programme may widen the implementation of firesetting VR.Originality/valuePrevious research has only focused on clinicians’ perceptions of VR in the general field of forensic mental health and has failed to consider offence-specific applications.

Identifying anthropogenic and natural causes of wildfires by maximum entropy method-based ignition susceptibility distribution models

Turkey has a high potential for wildfires along its Mediterranean coast because of its dense forest cover and mild climate. An average of 250 wildfires occurs every year with more than 10,000 hectares destroyed due to natural and human-related causes. The study area is sensitive to fires caused by lightning, stubble burning, discarded cigarette butts, electric arcing from power lines, deliberate fire setting, and traffic accidents. However, 52% of causes could not be identified due to intense wildfires occurring at the same time and insufficient equipment and personnel. Since wildfires destroy forest cover, ecosystems, biodiversity, and habitats, they should be spatially evaluated by separating them according to their causes, considering environmental, climatic, topographic and forest structure variables that trigger wildfires. In this study, wildfires caused by lightning, the burning of agriculture stubble, discarded cigarette butts and power lines were investigated in the provinces of Aydın, Muğla and Antalya, where 22% of Turkey’s wildfires occurred. The MaxEnt method was used to determine the spatial distribution of wildfires to identify risk zones for each cause. Wildfires were used as the species distribution and the probability of their occurrence estimated. Additionally, since the causes of many wildfires are unknown, determining the causes is important for fire prediction and prevention. The highest wildfire occurrence risks were 9.7% for stubble burning, 30.2% for lightning, 4.5% for power lines and 16.9% by discarded cigarette butts. In total, 1,266 of the 1,714 unknown wildfire causes were identified by the analysis of the cause-based risk zones and these were updated by including cause-assigned unknown wildfire locations for verification. As a result, the Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) values were increased for susceptibility maps.

Firesetting Reoffending: A Meta-Analysis

Despite the significant adverse consequences of deliberate firesetting, it has been unclear what proportion of individuals repeat this problematic behavior, owing to methodological differences and large variability in reported reoffending rates. A meta-analysis of 25 samples of untreated adults and children with a history of firesetting, examining reoffending over a follow-up period, was conducted. The base rates of reoffending from this meta-analysis indicated that between 57% and 66% of untreated firesetters engage in general reoffending, between 8% and 10% engage in criminal arson, and around 20% engage in deliberate firesetting behavior. The odds of firesetting during the follow-up period were 5 times greater for known firesetters in comparison with other offenders. Clinical and criminological correlates of reoffending, including age, are examined. Implications for enabling evidence-based practice with this population, including defensible risk assessments and treatment provision, are discussed.

Generating a Baseline Map of Surface Fuel Loading Using Stratified Random Sampling Inventory Data through Cokriging and Multiple Linear Regression Methods

Surface fuel loading is a key factor in controlling wildfires and planning sustainable forest management. Spatially explicit maps of surface fuel loading can highlight the risks of a forest fire. Geospatial information is critical in enabling careful use of deliberate fire setting and also helps to minimize the possibility of heat conduction over forest lands. In contrast to lidar sensing and/or optical sensing based methods, an approach of integrating in-situ fuel inventory data, geospatial interpolation techniques, and multiple linear regression methods provides an alternative approach to surface fuel load estimation and mapping over mountainous forests. Using a stratified random sampling based inventory and cokriging analysis, surface fuel loading data of 120 plots distributed over four kinds of fuel types were collected in order to develop a total surface fuel loading model (lntSFL-BioTopo model) and a fine surface fuel model (lnfSFL-BioTopo model) for generating tSFL and fSFL maps. Results showed that the combination of topographic parameters such as slope, aspect, and their cross products and the fuel types such as pine stand, non-pine conifer stand, broadleaf stand, and conifer–broadleaf mixed stand was able to appropriately describe the changes in surface fuel loads over a forest with diverse terrain morphology. Based on a cross-validation method, the estimation of tSFL and fSFL of the study site had an RMSE of 3.476 tons/ha and 3.384 tons/ha, respectively. In contrast to the average loading of all inventory plots, the estimation for tSFL and fSFL had a relative error of 38% (PRMSE). The reciprocal of estimation bias of both SFL-BioTopo models tended to be an exponential growth function of the amount of surface fuel load, indicating that the estimation accuracy of the proposed method is likely to be improved with further study. In the regression modeling, a natural logarithm transformation of the surface fuel loading prevented the outcome of negative estimates and thus improved the estimation. Based on the results, this paper defined a minimum sampling unit (MSU) as the area for collecting surface fuels for interpolation using a cokriging model. Allocating the MSUs at the boundary and center of a plot improved surface fuel load prediction and mapping.

Risk assessments for deliberate firesetting: Difficulties, recent advancements, and best practice

Risk assessments for deliberate firesetting: Difficulties, recent advancements, and best practice

The classification of deliberate firesetting

The construction of typologies and classification systems has proved highly popular in the area of deliberate firesetting, particularly for developing units of explanation for this behaviour. However, the methods and approaches applied to the classification of firesetting have arguably stunted academic and clinical understanding of this behaviour. As a result, firesetting remains poorly understood and meaningful classification systems to guide assessment and treatment are in their infancy. This article aims to review and critique existing classification systems for deliberate firesetting. The strengths and weaknesses of classificatory approaches in the extant literature are considered and suggestions as to how future research may approach classification of firesetting, so as to advance knowledge of this behaviour, are presented. • There has been considerable focus on classifying firesetting. • Many of the existing classification systems use similar defining constructs. • Direction on how to improve and develop classification systems for firesetting appears to be lacking. • Classification has the potential to aid explanation of firesetting and guide investigation, risk assessment and treatment. • To improve both classification and knowledge development, further theoretical and empirical research is urgently needed.

Applying classification methodology to high-consequence firesetting

ABSTRACT Although classification research has improved our understanding about different types of firesetters, very little is known about those responsible for the most injurious or destructive fires. This study explored variables associated with high-consequence firesetting in an Australian sample (n = 114). Data across 41 variables were subject to multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principle component analysis. Five types of high-consequence firesetting were identified: (1) Intimate Partner Violence, (2) Hopeless Endangerment, (3) Instrumental Gain, (4) Vandalism, and (5) Fire Interest. Firesetting in the first two types involved individuals with increased rates of past violence, fewer instances of previous firesetting, increased psychiatric morbidity and fires directed at people (person-centred targets). In comparison, individuals represented in the latter two types were younger, focused on object-related targets and had engaged in repeated firesetting. Implications for investigating deliberate firesetting and assessing and managing the risk of deliberate firesetting were discussed.

Firesetters with intellectual disabilities in Denmark

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gather epidemiologicalinformation concerning firesetters with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Denmark to identify the assessment and treatment needs of this population and inform further research in this area.Design/methodology/approachThe records held by the Danish Ministry of Justice concerning all firesetters with ID convicted of deliberate firesetting were reviewed for the period January 2001 to December 2010 inclusive. File information was extracted for 83 offenders concerning: demographic and personal characteristics; mental health characteristics; offending behaviour; offence-specific factors; and motives for offending. A sub-group of seven offenders were interviewed to explore some of the themes that emerged from the file review.FindingsThe majority of study participants were male and were classified as having mild ID and around 50 per cent had additional mental health problems. Many came from disturbed and deprived backgrounds. Two-thirds had set more than one fire and over 60 per cent had convictions for offences other than firesetting. Alcohol was involved in the firesetting behaviour in a significant proportion of cases (25 per cent). The motives for setting fires were – in descending order – communication (of anger, frustration and distress), fire fascination and vandalism. Interviews with participants indicated the important communicative function of firesetting, the difficulties people had in talking about and acknowledging their firesetting behaviour, and lack of access to targeted interventions.Research limitations/implicationsInterventions for Danish firesetters with ID, as for firesetters with ID elsewhere, need to target the communicative function of this behaviour, along with offenders’ lack of insight and initial reluctance to accept responsibility for their behaviour and associated risks. Adjunctive treatment is required to address the psychiatric comorbidity experienced by many of these offenders, along with the alcohol use/misuse that is associated with many of these offences.Originality/valueThis is the first study concerning nature and needs of firesetters with ID in Denmark.

Deliberate firesetting: an international public health issue

Deliberate firesetting: an international public health issue

Deliberate firesetting: hotspot schools as arenas and preventive actors

ABSTRACTFiresetting is one of the crime acts most representative of youth crime, and schools are among the buildings most often targeted, causing significant social, material and economic damage. This study examines schools as arenas with particular exposure to deliberate firesetting and as actors interpreting and utilizing their organizational scope to prevent school fires. The focus on school organizations is unique and urgently needed in research on juvenile firesetting, given their pivotal but under-researched role in crime prevention. The study is based on an in-depth analysis of data (interviews, documents and official registry data) related to 20 fire-exposed lower secondary schools in two major Swedish cities. These schools mobilized a broad repertoire of social, situational and structural measures. Interviewed school personnel perceived and responded to firesetting in relation to the institutional school setting, group dynamics, individual characteristics and local context. The schools were generally located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas and faced comprehensive educational and social challenges. The firesetting problem – and paradoxically some well-intentioned preventive efforts – risk adding further dimensions to school segregation and inequality, potentially increasing stigmatization and marginalization.

Perceptions about firesetting among Swedish high school students

ABSTRACT Fires in school buildings are a major problem in Sweden. However, there is lack of research about juveniles’ attitudes to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate how high school students in Sweden discussed arson and firesetting. Semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with 32 high school students (aged 14–15). It was found that although most students argued that playing with fire were common phenomena in their schools, deliberate firesetting was said to be less common. In contrast to previous research the students in this study argued that both girls and boys were equally involved in firesetting and fire play. There was a consensus that arson was a serious problem and a problem that should be prevented.

An evaluation of a specialist firesetting treatment programme for male and female mentally disordered offenders (the FIP-MO).

Individuals who set deliberate fires are frequently encountered by clinicians working in forensic mental health services. However, little attention has been paid to developing standardised treatment for this behaviour, and few evaluations of treatment have been conducted in forensic mental health services. This study evaluates a new standardised group cognitive behavioural treatment programme for individuals residing in forensic psychiatric hospitals who have engaged in deliberate firesetting (The Firesetting Intervention Programme for Mentally Disordered Offenders; FIP-MO). Sixty-three male and female patients with a history of deliberate firesetting commenced FIP-MO treatment. Patients who met the referral criteria for treatment but who resided at hospitals where FIP-MO treatment was not available were recruited as a treatment as usual comparison group. The treatment group completed a battery of psychometric assessments pre- and post-treatment, with the comparison group completing these at similar time points. Results showed that patients who completed the FIP-MO made significant improvements post-treatment, relative to the comparison group on fire-related measures (e.g., problematic interest and associations with fire) and anger expression. Further, effect size calculations showed that the treatment group made larger pre-post treatment shifts on the majority of outcome measures compared to the comparison group. These findings suggest that FIP-MO treatment is effective for reducing some of the key factors associated with deliberate firesetting.

The utility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a screening measure among children and adolescents who light fires

Background: This pilot study examined the utility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a standardised screening tool for behavioural and psychosocial problems by fire service-based programmes to identify at-risk young firesetters who are in need of further comprehensive multiagency intervention. Method: SDQ scores were obtained from 57 children and adolescents, aged 6–17 years, who were referred to the Fire Awareness and Intervention Programme in New Zealand for firesetting behaviour. Scores from firesetters aged 13–17 years were compared to those of typically developing New Zealand secondary school students. Results: Overall, young firesetters were at a high risk of clinically significant conduct and hyperactivity/inattention difficulties, and at low risk of clinically significant emotional problems. Cronbach’s alphas for most SDQ subscales were acceptable. Conclusions: We recommend that the SDQ be considered by fire service-operated interventions for use as an additional assessment tool for the young firesetting population.Key Practitioner Messages• Due to its financial and emotional cost, deliberate firesetting by children and adolescents is a significant concern for communities.• There appears to be significant comorbidity between firesetting and serious antisocial behaviour, and many young firesetters engage in ongoing general offending behaviour.• Intervention for child and adolescent firesetters is predominantly provided by fire services and typically involves fire safety education.• Given the co-morbid behavioural and psychosocial problems present among young firesetters, there is a need for fire service education programmes to use a standardised assessment tool that screens for wider behavioural and psychosocial difficulties to assist in the identification and referral of high-risk young people to appropriate services for further intervention.• The SDQ, a free, short and well-validated measure, could be adopted by fire service-operated education programmes to help detect and inform the referral of young firesetters who need more comprehensive multiagency intervention.

Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania

Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania

The characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters living in the UK community

The prevalence and characteristics of un-apprehended, self-reported deliberate firesetters living in the community were examined. Ten percent of Thanet households in Kent, UK (n = 5568) were randomly invited to participate in an online study investigating deliberate firesetting. Participants answered demographic questions, questions relating to any deliberate fires ignited and five questionnaires: The Fire Setting and Fire Proclivity Scales [Gannon & Barrowcliffe (2012). Firesetting in the general population: The development and validation of the Fire Setting and Fire Proclivity Scales. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 17(1), 105–122], The BIDR [version 6; Paulhus (1984). Two-component models of socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 598–609; Paulhus (1988). Assessing self-deception and impression management in self reports: The balanced inventory of desirable responding. Unpublished manual, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada], The Identification with Fire Scale [Gannon, Ó Ciardha, & Barnoux (2011). The identification with fire questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript. CORE-FP, School of Psychology, University of Kent, UK] and The Fire Attitude Scale [Muckley (1997). Firesetting: Addressing offending behaviour. A resource and training manual. Redcar and Cleveland Psychological Service]. A question relating to deliberate firesetting was answered by 157 participants. Eighteen (11.5%) participants were classified as deliberate firesetters. Firesetters and non-firesetters were similar, but significantly more firesetters self-reported a history of self-harm, having a family member who ignited a deliberate fire, and a father with a psychiatric illness. Interestingly, significantly more non-firesetters reported experimenting with fire before the age of 10 compared to the firesetters. Firesetters also scored significantly higher compared to the non-firesetters on The Fire Setting Scale, The Fire Proclivity Scale, The Identification with Fire Scale and The Fire Attitude Scale. This new information shows promise in identifying community individuals who may require education or preventative work.

Specialist group therapy for psychological factors associated with firesetting: Evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomized trial with male prisoners

Despite huge societal costs associated with firesetting, no standardized therapy has been developed to address this hugely damaging behavior. This study reports the evaluation of the first standardized CBT group designed specifically to target deliberate firesetting in male prisoners (the Firesetting Intervention Programme for Prisoners; FIPP). Fifty-four male prisoners who had set a deliberate fire were referred for FIPP treatment by their prison establishment and psychologically assessed at baseline, immediately post treatment, and three-months post treatment. Prisoners who were treatment eligible yet resided at prison establishments not identified for FIPP treatment were recruited as Treatment as Usual controls and tested at equivalent time-points. Results showed that FIPP participants improved on one of three primary outcomes (i.e., problematic fire interest and associations with fire), and made some improvement on secondary outcomes (i.e., attitudes towards violence and antisocial attitudes) post treatment relative to controls. Most notable gains were made on the primary outcome of fire interest and associations with fire and individuals who gained in this area tended to self-report more serious firesetting behavior. FIPP participants maintained all key improvements at three-month follow up. These outcomes suggest that specialist CBT should be targeted at those holding the most serious firesetting history.

A descriptive model of the offence chain for imprisoned adult male firesetters (descriptive model of adult male firesetting)

PurposeFiresetting has devastating consequences. Although some theoretical efforts have been made to explain firesetting (i.e., a small number of multi‐ and single‐factor theories), little effort has been devoted to understand how deliberate firesetting unfolds across time (i.e., micro or offence chain theories). This research aimed to produce the first descriptive offence chain theory for incarcerated adult male firesetters.MethodsThirty‐eight adult male firesetters – recruited from prison establishments in England and Wales – were interviewed about the events, thoughts, and feelings leading up to, surrounding, and immediately following a deliberate incident of firesetting.ResultsUsing grounded theory analysis, the descriptive model of adult male firesetting (DMAF) was developed documenting the cognitive, behavioural, affective, and contextual factors leading to a single incident of deliberate firesetting.ConclusionsNew information generated from the DMAF is presented and its contributions to the current evidence base are highlighted. Clinical implications, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.