Aggression and fire: The structure of antisocial behavior in firesetting and non-firesetting juvenile offenders

摘要

This study examines the structure of antisocial behavior in 219 juvenile offenders. The study shows, through a series of nested model comparisons via confirmatory factor analysis, that reliable data on firesetting juvenile offenders (n = 85) best fits a three-factor model composed of overt, covert, and oppositional antisocial behavior. The same three-factor model also best fits the data for comparable non-firesetting juvenile offenders (n = 134). It is argued that results from this study support a conceptualization of firesetting as likely part of a pattern of developmentally advanced, persistent, antisocial behavior. Though the same general structure of antisocial behavior best fit the data for both groups, the firesetting group exhibited a significantly higher frequency and variety of antisocial acts. Finally, the present study illustrates and discusses the implications of large methods effects due to source of information (i.e., parent and child ratings) in typical measurement approaches to youthful antisocial behavior.