Forehand R, Wierson M, Frame C L, Kemptom T, Armistead L
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
Behav Res Ther. 1991;29(2):125-8. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(91)90040-a.
The current study examined whether juvenile firesetting represents a unique syndrome or an advanced level of antisocial behavior. Thirty-six incarcerated juvenile delinquents, all of whom met criteria for a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder, served as subjects and were categorized into one of three groups: firesetters, non-firesetters but comparable to firesetters in number of conduct disorder symptoms, and non-firesetters who displayed fewer conduct disorder symptoms than the other two groups. Caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist on the youth to provide information about the severity and range of psychopathology. The results indicated that firesetters and non-firesetters who had a comparable number of symptoms did not differ from one another on the CBCL subscales of adolescent psychopathology but both differed from the group with fewer symptoms. These results suggest that firesetting does represent an advanced level of antisocial behavior, but that firesetting is not a unique syndrome, at least not in terms of caretakers' perceptions of the youths' problematic behavior. Implications for treatment of firesetters are presented.
当前研究探讨了青少年纵火行为究竟是一种独特的综合征，还是反社会行为的一种高级形式。三十六名被监禁的青少年罪犯作为研究对象，他们均符合品行障碍的诊断标准，并被分为三组之一：纵火者、虽非纵火者但品行障碍症状数量与纵火者相当的青少年，以及品行障碍症状少于其他两组的非纵火者。照顾者完成了针对这些青少年的儿童行为检查表，以提供有关精神病理学严重程度和范围的信息。结果表明，有相当数量症状的纵火者和非纵火者在青少年精神病理学的儿童行为检查表子量表上并无差异，但两者均与症状较少的组有所不同。这些结果表明，纵火行为确实代表了反社会行为的一种高级形式，但纵火行为并非一种独特的综合征，至少在照顾者对青少年问题行为的认知方面并非如此。文中还阐述了对纵火者治疗的启示。
