The Interaction between Juvenile School Fire Setting and Bullying: An Exploratory Study

The aim of this study is to provide school social workers with an outline of the indicators common to school fire setters regarding their experiences of bullying and victimization by bullies. A sample of juvenile fire setters (N = 379) between the ages of five and seventeen years attending a fire-setter intervention program completed a modified Peer Relations Questionnaire. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are any differences regarding bully or bully victim characteristics between juvenile fire setters who set fires at school and those who set fires in other locations. Almost a third of the sample (32.7%, n = 125) indicated that they had set a fire at school and reported a higher rate of having been bullied than non-school fire setters. Implications for school social work practices are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)