Arson Case Study Statistics

Arson the act of setting fire to property or belongings with the intention of causing damage or harm. Arson is said to be the reason for hundreds of deaths and millions of dollars worth of damage every year. It is believed that most serial arsonists are young white males that come from different backgrounds. There are many antisocial disorders that are said to be linked with arson. In a study conducted by Vaughn et al., they looked at the popularity and correlates of intentional fire-setting behavior within the United States. In the study they examined the factors that go into creating a love for fire-setting. Vaughn and his colleagues created the study in order to examine the extensiveness and connection of intentional fire-setting in a

Vaughn and his colleagues looked into data collected between 2001 and 2002. Data for this study was gathered by interviewers from National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions or the NESARC nationally. The sample included 43 093 non-institutionalized US residents 18 years of age and older. The survey gathered information on alcohol and one or more disorders from individuals living in a household and within a group setting in all 50 states. The information was gathered face to face and used the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule. The data on arson was based on an item inserted in the antisocial personality disorder portion of the interview. “All NESARC participants were asked the following question: “In your entire life, did you ever start a fire on purpose to destroy someone else's property or just to see it burn?” (Vaughn et al, pg 218) If the individual answered the question with a yes then it was said that they had a history of fire-setting. Not included in the types of fires that indicated a history of arson are fires within a contained area or camp fires. Along with antisocial personality disorder numerous other personality disorders were evaluated some of which included obsessive-compulsive, avoidant and paranoid. Several control variables were used to reduce confounding variables, including lifetime drug and alcohol use, gambling issues, family history of antisocial behavior and numerous

There was no major difference with relation to education, martial status, income or urbanicity. The study did point out that all types of antisocial behaviors were higher in individuals with a lifetime history of arson versus individuals that reported having no history with fire-setting. The most common behaviors of a person with arson history included skipping school or leaving before the day was completed, staying out to late and petty theft. The least common behavior noted was forcing someone to having sex. In individuals that are said to be effected by both arson history and antisocial behaviors the behaviors noted included more violent crimes like robbing or mugging, forcible sex and destruction of others property. Amongst the individuals with a history of fire-setting the most common psychiatric disorders were drug and alcohol abuse, nicotine addiction, antisocial personality disorder and a family history of antisocial behavior. This study proved that certain demographics and disorders are included in individuals with a history of