Perceptions about firesetting among Swedish high school students

Fires in school buildings are a major problem in Sweden. However, there is lack of research about juveniles’ attitudes to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate how high school students in Sweden discussed arson and firesetting. Semi-structured interviews and focus group interview...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: My Lilja
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-12-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1601117
Description
Summary:Fires in school buildings are a major problem in Sweden. However, there is lack of research about juveniles’ attitudes to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate how high school students in Sweden discussed arson and firesetting. Semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with 32 high school students (aged 14–15). It was found that although most students argued that playing with fire were common phenomena in their schools, deliberate firesetting was said to be less common. In contrast to previous research the students in this study argued that both girls and boys were equally involved in firesetting and fire play. There was a consensus that arson was a serious problem and a problem that should be prevented.
ISSN:0267-3843
2164-4527