The British Journal of Psychiatry 138: 26-29 (1981)
© 1981 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Conspicuous firesetting in children
JG Strachan
The records of 79 children whose firesetting led to referral to a
Children's Hearing (the Scottish equivalent of a juvenile court) were
examined. All but one of the children were boys. They had very disturbed
backgrounds, with much family disruption and absent or unemployed fathers.
Firesetting was predominantly a group activity and the damage caused was
extensive. Although the children frequently engaged in other offences, in
over 90 per cent there was no recurrence of reported firesetting within the
limited period of possible follow-up.