August 23, 16:10-17:00 CEST

Understanding and Intervening with Deliberate Firesetting: Developments and New Directions in Research and Practice 

 Deliberate firesetting (or arson) is an enduring public health issue that results in significant levels of economic, social, environmental, and human harm every year (Tyler, Gannon, Ó Ciardha, Ogloff, & Stadolnik, 2019). Compared to other types of offending (e.g., sexual or violent offending), deliberate firesetting has historically received little attention from psychological researchers. This symposium aims to highlight new developments and directions in psychological research on deliberate firesetting, including research with previously understudied subpopulations (e.g., adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and un-apprehended firesetting young adults) and the evidence for the effectiveness of specialist interventions for youth and adults who set fires. Each presentation in the symposium will consider the implications of the research findings for research, policy and practice and identify future directions for improving our understanding of deliberate firesetting and for providing evidence based assessment and treatment for this population. 

16.10 – 16.20	Josephine Collins University of Kent, UK	Adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who deliberately set fires: A systematic review
16.20 – 16.30	Emma Barrowcliffe Canterbury Christchurch University, UK	Firesetting among 18-23 year old un-apprehended adults: A UK community study
16.30 – 16.40	Kendal Johnston Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand	The effectiveness of fire safety education interventions for young people who set fires: A systematic review
16.40 – 16.50	Nichola Tyler Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand	“What works” for adult perpetrated deliberate firesetting? Where have we come from and where do we go from here?
16.50 – 17.00	Live Q&A with all speakers