ABSTRACT
With the number of juvenile firesetters growing each year and the amount of psychological and financial damage they create, it is essential that clinical professionals are aware of the characteristics surrounding juveniles who set fires. This study had two primary purposes: to educate nurses and mental health practitioners about the etiology and treatment of juvenile firesetters and to discuss a number of exploratory predictors, including age, gender, aggression, internalizing behaviors, level of deviancy, family dynamics, and sociability. Certain individual and environmental characteristics relate to varying levels of damage caused by the fire and the presence or absence of recidivistic behaviors. Firesetters are a group widely seen in the general population but not often identified or studied by clinical professionals. Therefore, this article has implications for the clinical practice of nurse practitioners and others who come into contact with this clinical population.
Subject(s)
Firesetting Behavior/psychology , Adolescent , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Firesetting Behavior/nursing , Firesetting Behavior/prevention & control , Health Education , Humans , Psychiatric Nursing/methods , Psychotherapy/methods , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
1. Arsonists have more psychiatric symptoms, such as self-destructive behavior and alcohol dependency, than other criminal offenders. 2. Arsonists are found to have poor social competence with low social status and a high unemployment rate. 3. The act of arson could be like an attempted suicide, a cry for help.
