Dr. Kimberly D. Becker from the University of Hawaii and colleagues analyzed information provided in 1990 by 363 mothers and one of their 6- to 12-year-old children as part of a 10-year prospective study into the impact of marital violence on children's mental health.

The researchers conducted interviews with 86 percent of the original cohort in 1996 and 1998 and reviewed court records to gather information on juvenile delinquency.

As reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children residing in homes where marital violence prevailed or where the father abused the family pet were more likely to set fires than children residing in homes in which they were not confronted with these behaviors. Having a father who drank alcohol also increased the odds of firesetting behavior.

Likewise, children from violent homes were 2.3 times more likely to be cruel to animals than were those from nonviolent homes. "Harsh parenting" also significantly increased the likelihood that a child would be cruel to animals.

Becker's team also found that children who set fires were 3 times more likely than non-firesetters to be referred to juvenile court and 3.3 times more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.

This study shows that firesetting behavior "is a statistically significant predictor for juvenile delinquency," the authors write. "Any indication of these behaviors should be taken seriously and addressed at an early age," they suggest.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2004.