Exploring explicit and implicit correlates of early anti-social fire exposure and everyday fire use in adulthood
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-06-2021-0036 |
| Published date | 22 February 2022 |
| Date | 22 February 2022 |
| Pages | 169-182 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
| Author | Faye Kathryn Horsley,Trevor Keith James,Natasha Baker,Rachel Broughton,Xanthe Hampton,Amy Knight,Imogen Langford,Ellie Pomfrey,Laura Unsworth |
Exploring explicit and implicit correlates
of early anti-social fire exposure and
everyday fire use in adulthood
Faye Kathryn Horsley, Trevor Keith James, Natasha Baker, Rachel Broughton,
Xanthe Hampton, Amy Knight, Imogen Langford, Ellie Pomfrey and Laura Unsworth
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to explore whether early anti-social fire exposure (ASFE) is associatedwith
how adultsengage with fire and how they view fire.
Design/methodology/approach –An opportunistic sample (N = 326) was recruited. Participants
completed an online survey exploring ASFE, fire use, strength of fire-belief sa ndi nterest in/attitudes supportive
of fire. Additionally, implicit fire bias was meas ured using the affect misattribution procedure (AMP).
Findings –Participants with ASFE engagedwith more criminalised fire use as adults. They also scored
higher on fire interest and general fire beliefsand showed an implicit dislike of fire stimuli, compared to
non-exposed participants(although differences in fire use were not statisticallysignificant when gender
was accounted for). Males also had higher levels of fire interest, held stronger fire related beliefs and
were more likely to have been exposed to ASFE during childhood. However, there were no gender
differencesin fire use or on the implicit task.
Research limitations/implications –The findings havepractical application, namely in relationto early
interventionand rehabilitative approaches. However,a limitation is that participants’ cultural background
were not accounted for. Additionally, we advise caution in interpreting the implicit results and call for
furtherresearch.
Social implications –The need for better early interventionsfor young people is highlighted, along with
better screening which, currently,is unstandardised and inconsistent across the country (Foster,2020).
This demandsa community-engagementapproach.
Originality/value –This is the first study to explore type of early exposure to fire. It is also the first to
adopt theAMP as a measure of implicit fire-bias.
Keywords Firesetting, Arson, Fire interest, Continuum of fire use scale, Affect misattribution procedure
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The influence of early fire exposure on later fire behaviour and cognition has received little attention
in the firesetting literature to date. There are only a handful of existing studies and methodological
constraints suggest there is a need for more research. We begin with a brief review of the existing
literature, focusing on the relationship between early fire exposure and adult behaviour, while
noting that there is conceptual misalignment and some equivocal findings. In doing so, we al lude
to the absence of research that has investigated fire interest in normal populations. Finally, we end
with a brief discussion of the limited research on implicit bias towards fire.
The relationship between early fire exposure and abnormal fire use
AstudybyMacht and Mack (1968; as cited in Gannon and Pina, 2010) provides some of
the earliest evidence for a link between early fire-experiences and later behaviour.
At the time of writing
Faye Kathryn Horsley,
Trevor Keith James,
Natasha Baker,
Rachel Broughton,
Xanthe Hampton,
Amy Knight, Imogen
Langford, Ellie Pomfrey and
Laura Unsworth were all
based at the Department of
Psychology, Newcastle
University, Newcastle upon
Tyne, UK.
Received 22 June 2021
Revised 3 November 2021
6 January 2022
Accepted 7 January 2022
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-06-2021-0036 VOL. 8 NO. 3 2022, pp. 169-182, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE jPAGE 169
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