Enuresis, Firesetting, and Cruelty to Animals: The Significance of Two Thirds of This Triad

Abstract

Abstract The familiar childhood behavioral triad of persistent enuresis, firesetting, and cruelty to animals has been suggested as a predictor of dangerously aggressive acts at a later age [1]. These studies, which support an association between these triadic elements and assaultive behaviors, involve only subjects who have already been identified as “dangerous” or “antisocial.” How then does the incidence of a partial or complete triad in an aggressive population compare with that of a nonaggressive population? What is the significance of a single element of the triad or of two out of three elements? Finally, is there a sex-related difference in the significance of a partial or complete triad?