Autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities who set fires: A systematic review

Background: The purpose of this review was to systematically examine and synthesise existing research to determine what is known about autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities who set fires. Method: PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, Medline, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Criminal Justice Abstracts, SCOPUS, Open Grey and the University of Kent arson library were searched for articles. Ancestry searches were conducted. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results: Searches resulted in 100 articles that met the specific inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities share some characteristics with other adults who set fires (e.g., demographic features, aggression, impulsivity, maladaptive coping strategies). They also face additional challenges (e.g., communication difficulties, a lack of support, lower self-esteem). Conclusions: Evidence suggests fire-setting is an issue for a minor ity of autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities. However, current research is generally of poor methodological quality, limiting our ability to understand the unique characteristics and treatment needs of this population. Nevertheless, there is tentative evidence that they face additional challenges, which has implications for assessment, formulation and treatment, inclusive of risk assessment.