Fire interest and antisociality as risk factors in the severity and persistence of juvenile firesetting.
OBJECTIVE
In the DSM-IV-TR, firesetting is included as a criterion for the diagnoses of conduct disorder and pyromania. The link between firesetting and antisocial behavior is well established in the empirical literature. Although theoretical models of firesetting often include fire interest as a putative risk factor, there is little research on the role of fire interest in firesetting or on the construct of pyromania.


METHODS
The present study evaluated a sample of children and adolescents referred to an outpatient specialty program for juvenile firesetters with firesetting as the primary presenting problem. By assessing fire interest and antisocial behavior concurrently, the contribution of fire interest to firesetting after controlling for the role of conduct problems was evaluated.


RESULTS
Results revealed that fire interest and antisocial behavior were significantly and positively correlated. Moreover, variations in fire interest added to the prediction of firesetting severity at assessment and firesetting recidivism at 18-month follow-up above and beyond what was predicted by antisociality alone.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have implications for an empirically derived taxonomy of pathological firesetting.
MacKAY
Sherri
S
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice. Electronic address: sherri_mackay@camh.net.
Henderson
Joanna
J
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice.
Del Bove
Giannetta
G
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice.
Marton
Peter
P
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice.
Warling
Diane
D
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice.
Root
Carol
C
Dr. MacKay is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Drs. MacKay, Henderson, Del Bove, Warling, and Root are with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; and Dr. Marton is in independent practice.
D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005391:Firesetting Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires