The Multi-Trajectory Theory of Adult Firesetting (M-TTAF)

Gannon, Theresa A.; Ciardha, Caoilte Ó; Doley, Rebekah; Alleyne, Emma

doi:10.1016/j.avb.2011.08.001

Cited by 104 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(116 reference statements)

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“…Within-gender comparisons have shown that firesetters are distinguished by inappropriate attitudes towards fire, poorer emotion regulation and proneness to angry provocation, in addition to self-concept related factors (all-male prison study - Gannon et al, 2013). Based on these findings, coupled with the gender differences outlined above, it can be theorized that female firesetters would exhibit psychological vulnerabilities as theorized by Gannon et al (2012) in their M-TTAF model. Our study extends this research by comparing female firesetters, female offender controls, and male firesetters in prison settings.…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Although the wider offending literature calls for gender-specific programming (e.g., Blanchette and Browne, 2006), there have been theoretical developments intended to explain male and female firesetting. For example, the Multi-Trajectory Theory of Adult Firesetting (M-TTAF; Gannon et al, 2012) provides a framework for understanding the etiological, maintenance, and desistance factors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Female Fire-Setters: Gender-Associated Psychological and Psychopathological Features

Alleyne¹,

Gannon

Mozova

et al. 2016

Psychiatry

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Objective: Female firesetters are reported to commit nearly a third of deliberately set fires, yet there are limited studies examining the characteristics that distinguish them from suitable comparison groups. The aim of this study is to compare incarcerated female firesetters with incarcerated male firesetters and female offender controls on psychopathological and psychological features that could be targeted via therapeutic interventions.Method: Sixty-five female firesetters, 128 male firesetters, and 63 female offenders were recruited from the prison estate. Participants completed a battery of validated tools assessing psychiatric traits and psychological characteristics (i.e., inappropriate fire interest, emotion/self-regulation, social competence, self-concept, offense-supportive attitudes, and boredom proneness) highlighted in the existing literature.Results: Major depression and an internal locus of control distinguished female firesetters from male firesetters. Alcohol dependence, serious/problematic fire interest, and more effective anger regulation distinguished female firesetters from the female offender control group.Conclusions: This is the first study to examine differences between female firesetters, male firesetters, and female control offenders on both psychopathological features and psychological traits. These findings highlight the gender-specific and offence-specific needs of female firesetters that clinicians need to consider when implementing programs that ensure client responsivity.

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Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Female Fire-Setters: Gender-Associated Psychological and Psychopathological Features

Alleyne¹,

Gannon

Mozova

et al. 2016

Psychiatry

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“…Stewart (1993) in line with the M-TTAF (Gannon, Ó Ciardha, Doley and Alleyne, 2012) noted that some female prisoners had multiple motives for firesetting including revenge (33%), attention seeking (20%), instrumental (20%), mental illness (10%), suicide (8%) and pyromania traits (5%). Additional motives in Tennent et al's (1971) study of female firesetter in-patients were conflict with authority and self-harm/destruction.…”

Section: Firesetting In Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early theories of firesetting included Social Learning Theory (Gannon, Ó Ciardha, Doley, and Alleyne, 2012); Jackson's functional analysis model: Firesetting as the Only Viable Option (Jackson, Glass, and Hope, 1987;Jackson, 1994); and Fineman's (1995) dynamic behavioural theory. Social learning theorists view firesetting as the product of learning principles and a form of learnt hostility/aggression.…”

Section: Overview Of Theories Of Firesettingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing and evaluating interventions for women firesetters in high secure mental healthcare

Annesley¹,

Davison²,

Colley³

et al. 2017

JFP

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation and evaluation of interventions for women firesetters in high secure mental healthcare at the UK’s National Women’s Service. Design/methodology/approach Two types of Arson treatment programmes for women, one delivered to individuals, the other within a group context, were developed, delivered and evaluated. The evaluation incorporated qualitative and quantitative data, including psychometric measures. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The evaluation evidenced very high engagement with and attendance at treatment programmes, and several post-treatment gains. Participants’ ratings of programmes and qualitative feedback were similarly very positive. The study demonstrated that engaging women firesetters in their treatment is paramount and can be facilitated by consistent boundaries around therapy provision balanced with sensitivity, empathy and flexibility; providing interactive and varied teaching methods; ongoing service user involvement and recognising participants’ achievements; employing a mixed cognitive analytic therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy therapeutic approach; having input from fire service staff; and maintaining organisational support for firesetting interventions. Practical implications In all, 12 key recommendations are made for clinicians considering offering treatment programmes for women firesetters. Originality/value Amid few published papers on treating women firesetters this paper guides forensic clinicians in establishing and delivering interventions for women firesetters.

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“…Fritzon et al (2013), for example, argue that a more standardized evidence-based approach needs to be taken in devising and implementing treatment with firesetters. Towards this aim, researchers have recently begun to scrutinize how firesetters might best be assessed on fire-related variables (Ó Ciardha, Barnoux, Tyler, Mozova, & Gannon, 2015) and have developed an empirically informed theoretical framework examining the development and maintenance of firesetting (i.e., the MultiTrajectory Theory of Adult Firesetting [M-TTAF]; Gannon, Ó Ciardha, Doley, & Alleyne, 2012). The M-TTAF emphasizes the interaction of biological, social-cultural, and contextual factors associated with firesetting and emphasizes the importance of examining inappropriate fire interest and associated cognitions (see Fritzon et al, 2013;Gannon et al, 2012).…”

Section: Specialist Group Therapy For Psychological Factors Associatementioning

confidence: 99%

Specialist group therapy for psychological factors associated with firesetting: Evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomized trial with male prisoners

Gannon

Alleyne

Butler

et al. 2015

Behaviour Research and Therapy

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Despite huge societal costs associated with firesetting, no standardized therapy has been developed to address this hugely damaging behavior. This study reports the evaluation of the first standardized CBT group designed specifically to target deliberate firesetting in male prisoners (the Firesetting Intervention Programme for Prisoners; FIPP). Fifty-four male prisoners who had set a deliberate fire were referred for FIPP treatment by their prison establishment and psychologically assessed at baseline, immediately post treatment, and three-months post treatment. Prisoners who were treatment eligible yet resided at prison establishments not identified for FIPP treatment were recruited as Treatment as Usual controls and tested at equivalent time-points. Results showed that FIPP participants improved on one of three primary outcomes (i.e., problematic fire interest and associations with fire), and made some improvement on secondary outcomes (i.e., attitudes towards violence and antisocial attitudes) post treatment relative to controls. Most notable gains were made on the primary outcome of fire interest and associations with fire and individuals who gained in this area tended to self-report more serious firesetting behavior. FIPP participants maintained all key improvements at three-month follow up. These outcomes suggest that CBT should be targeted at those holding the most serious firesetting history. deaths, and $1.3 billion USD costs in property damage (Campbell, 2014). These latter property costs represent only a small amount of those incurred since they do not include some of the wider costs associated with firesetting (firefighting, or health costs or costs associated with wildfire damage). In the UK, there were 53,000 deliberately set fires and 451 fire- Over the past two decades, a small number of cognitive behavioral treatment packages (CBT) have been developed for use with mentally disordered firesetters (Hall, 1995; Swaffer, Hagget, & Oxley, 2001;Taylor, Thorne, Robertson, & Avery, 2002;Taylor, Robertson, Thorne, Belshaw, & Watson, 2006). However, these represent uncontrolled 'in house' therapy conducted with very small numbers of participants. In the largest study available (N = 14), Taylor et al. (2002) reported that a 40-session package of group CBT aimed primarily at reducing problematic fire interest and attitudes in patients with a learning disability led to significant improvements on standardized measures of fire interest and attitudes, anger, goal attainment (e.g., understanding of risk), and self esteem. In the absence 6 of any control group, however, the beneficial effect of this group therapy remains largely unclear. To our knowledge, no further firesetting treatment evaluation studies have been published. Furthermore, no treatment evaluation studies in prison settings have ever been reported. The current study aimed to provide the first evaluation of a specialist group therapy trial for male firesetters in a UK prison. The therapy evaluated differs from previous 'in house' therapies...

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The Multi-Trajectory Theory of Adult Firesetting (M-TTAF)

Cited by 104 publications

References 83 publications

Female Fire-Setters: Gender-Associated Psychological and Psychopathological Features

Female Fire-Setters: Gender-Associated Psychological and Psychopathological Features

Developing and evaluating interventions for women firesetters in high secure mental healthcare

Specialist group therapy for psychological factors associated with firesetting: Evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomized trial with male prisoners

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