Comparing the psychological characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters and non-firesetters living in the UK.

Deliberate firesetting research predominantly focuses on apprehended populations. In contrast, this paper focuses on the prevalence and characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters living in the UK. Social media was utilized to recruit 232 participants for an online questionnaire. Two hundred and twenty-five people answered a question relating to deliberate firesetting. Forty participants (17.78%) indicated that they had ignited a deliberate fire and were classified as un-apprehended firesetters. Firesetting was most common in childhood and adolescence. Relative to non-firesetters, un-apprehended deliberate firesetters were more likely to report; a diagnoses of a psychiatric illness, a diagnosis of a behavioural problem, having been suspended from school, a history of suicide attempts, experimenting with fire before the age of 10 years old, and having a family member who also ignited a deliberate fire. Un-apprehended firesetters also scored significantly higher compared to non-firesetters on theFire Setting Scaleand theFire Proclivity Scale[Gannon, T. A., & Barrowcliffe, E. R. (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], theFire Interest Rating Scale[Murphy, G. H., & Clare, I. C. H. (1996). Analysis of motivation in people with mild learning disabilities (mental handicap) who set fires.Psychology, Crime & Law,2(3), 153–164], theNovaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory[Novaco, R. W. (2003). The Novaco AngerScaleandProvocation Inventory: NAS-PI. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services], theBoredom Proneness Scale – Short Form[Vodanovich, S. J., Wallace, J. C., & Kass, S. J. (2005). A confirmatory approach to the factor structure of the Boredom Proneness Scale: Evidence for a two-factor short form.Journal of Personality Assessment,85(3), 295–303], and theMeasure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates Scale[Mills, J. F., & Kroner, D. G. (1999). Measures of criminal attitudes and associates: User guide. Unpublished instrument and user guide]. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]