Abstract
Despite a relationship consistently being found between firesetting behaviour and mental health, and psychopathological characteristics distinguishing firesetters from other offenders, no known paper systematically reviews the published literature on this topic. The current paper systematically reviews the published literature reporting the prevalence rates of mental health disorder among adult male arsonists and firesetters since 2000. The broad research question of “Do adult males who commit arson report psychopathological outcomes?”, in addition to several more specific research questions, is used as guide. 23 studies were selected for review. A critical appraisal of study quality and a narrative synthesis of the findings was performed. The findings are discussed, including the clinical implications, and directions for future research.Arson is an act of great cost to individuals and wider society, and is known to be interwoven with issues such as mental health and social disadvantage, yet is significantly lacking in research. This research aimed to explore the experience of men convicted of arson in Northern Ireland. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult men convicted of arson who are currently subject to supervision with the Probation Board of Northern Ireland (PBNI). Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), using the research question “How do men in Northern Ireland make sense of their arson convictions?” as a guide. The findings are discussed in the context of the existing literature, including clinical implications, and directions for future research.
Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2026.
| Date of Award | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Emily McGlinchey (Supervisor) & Cherie Armour (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- firesetting
- arson
- mental health
- systematic review
- interpretative phenomenological Analysis
- qualitative
- Northern Ireland