What does the evidence tell us about people with low intellectual functioning who set fires? A systematic review

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to systematically examine and integrate existing evidence to determine what is known about deliberate firesetting by adults with low intellectual functioning.

Method: A set of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and a comprehensive search strategy of electronic databases was conducted.

Results: Twelve studies met the specified inclusion criteria. Seven studies reported psychosocial characteristics of firesetters and five studies investigated the outcomes of firesetter treatment interventions. Quality assessment indicated the included studies provided low quality research evidence with a high to moderate risk of bias.

Conclusions: The existing evidence provides limited understanding of firesetters with low intellectual functioning and it remains unclear whether epidemiological factors, assessment and treatment needs differ to firesetters with average or above intelligence. The extent to which modified assessment and intervention is effective with this group remains uncertain. Further high quality research endeavours are required before robust conclusions about deliberate firesetting by adults with low intellectual functioning can be delineated.