Fire-setting behavior in the histories of a state hospital population

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Abstract
Review of the records of 191 nongeriatric state hospital inpatients showed that 50 (26%) of the patients had engaged in some form of fire-setting behavior; half of this group had engaged in a single episode. As a group, persons who had engaged in fire-setting behavior were significantly more likely to have a history of nonlethal self-injurious behavior and had a significantly greater number of admissions to the state hospital. Apparently, fire setting by any patient cannot be accurately predicted. Fire-setting behavior may be an example of destructive operant behavior.

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