Risk Factors for Future Offending in Child and Adolescent Firesetters Following a Fire Service Intervention Program

Abstract

Research has established links between youth firesetting and general antisocial behavior. The current study sought to better understand these links by identifying fire-specific and general risk factors for offending from a national sample of children and adolescent firesetters (N = 1,790), from a New Zealand Fire Service intervention program, up to 10 years after intervention. Most (62%) had committed an offense post-intervention, primarily moderate or severe offending. Only 5% had committed an arson offense post-intervention. Nearly all measures of victimization, psychosocial/emotional problems, previous conduct problem behavior, and child-welfare history were associated with post-intervention offending and/or offending severity. Pre-intervention offending and being older (aged 12+ years) at intervention were the major independent risk factors for offending. A protective factor was firesetting having occurred at home. Findings highlight young firesetters’ broad patterns of pervasive antisocial behavior and multiple adverse family, environmental, and individual factors that accompany and contribute to wide-ranging, non-fire-related offending.