Trauma Symptoms and Social Skills Deficits in Juvenile Firesetters

Archival data were analyzed to explore relationships among trauma symptoms (i.e., anger and anxiety), social skills deficits, and severity of firesetting among adolescent male firesetters in residential treatment. Standardized measures were used to assess levels of trauma symptoms (i.e., anger and anxiety) and social skills while an idiographic assessment was used to measure severity of firesetting behavior. Zero-order correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses that (a) adolescents who report higher levels of trauma-related anger engage in more severe types of firesetting than those adolescents who report lower levels of trauma-related anger; (b) adolescents who report higher levels of trauma-related anxiety engage in more severe types of firesetting than those adolescents who report lower levels of trauma-related anxiety; (c) social skills mediate the relationship between trauma-related anger and juvenile firesetting; and (d) social skills mediate the relationship between trauma-related anxiety and juvenile firesetting. Hypotheses were not supported, which may have been due to participants reporting levels of trauma-related anger and anxiety that were not clinically elevated. Alternatively, the nonsignificant results may have been due to insufficient power to detect statistically significant differences. Suggestions for future research are provided. Degree Type Dissertation Rights Terms of use for work posted in CommonKnowledge. This dissertation is available at CommonKnowledge: http://commons.pacificu.edu/spp/60 Copyright and terms of use If you have downloaded this document directly from the web or from CommonKnowledge, see the “Rights” section on the previous page for the terms of use. If you have received this document through an interlibrary loan/document delivery service, the following terms of use apply: Copyright in this work is held by the author(s). You may download or print any portion of this document for personal use only, or for any use that is allowed by fair use (Title 17, §107 U.S.C.). Except for personal or fair use, you or your borrowing library may not reproduce, remix, republish, post, transmit, or distribute this document, or any portion thereof, without the permission of the copyright owner. [Note: If this document is licensed under a Creative Commons license (see “Rights” on the previous page) which allows broader usage rights, your use is governed by the terms of that license. ] Inquiries regarding further use of these materials should be addressed to: CommonKnowledge Rights, Pacific University Library, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116, (503) 352-7209. Email inquiries may be directed to:. copyright@pacificu.edu This dissertation is available at CommonKnowledge: http://commons.pacificu.edu/spp/60 TRAUMA SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITS IN JUVENILE FIRESETTERS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY PACIFIC UNIVERSITY HILLSBORO, OREGON BY DONNA FOGG IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY July 24, 2009 APPROVED: ______________________________ Jane M. Tram, Ph.D. _____________________________ Lisa R. Christiansen, Psy.D. PROFESSOR AND DEAN:_________________________ Michel Hersen, Ph.D., ABPP . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES v LIST OF FIGURES v