NCJ Number
133989
Journal
Behaviour Research and Therapy Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: (1991) Pages: 125-128
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The study reported in this article examined whether juvenile firesetting is a unique syndrome or an advanced level of antisocial behavior.
Abstract
Thirty-six incarcerated juvenile delinquents, all of whom met criteria for a diagnosis of conduct disorder, were the subjects of the study. They were placed in one of three groups: firesetters, nonfiresetters but comparable to firesetters in number of conduct disorder symptoms, and nonfiresetters who displayed fewer conduct disorder symptoms than the other two groups. Caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) on the youth to provide information about the severity and range of psychopathology. The findings indicated that firesetters and nonfiresetters who had a comparable number of symptoms did not differ from one another on the CBCL subscales of adolescent psychopathology, but both differed from the group with fewer symptoms. These results suggest that firesetting is an advanced level of antisocial behavior. It is not a unique syndrome, at least not according to caretakers' perceptions of the youths' problematic behavior. This article discusses the implications of the findings for the treatment of firesetters. 1 table and 11 references