Researchers have
long tracked the connection between domestic violence in the
home and animal abuse. There are those who believe most
serial murderers and violent offenders have childhood
experiences of domestic violence and there is a strong
inclination therefore to be be predisposed to abuse of
animals.
Research connects abuse in
childhood with cruelty to animals
Posted: 30 October 2008
by James Blewett
"Is there is a connection
between childhood abuse of animals and behavioural problems in
later life?" Researcher James Blewett examines this in a
recent study.
The Research
Title: Animal Abuse and Child Maltreatment
Authors: Simon Hackett and Emma Uprichard
Institutions: Simon Hackett works in the School of Applied
Social Sciences at Durham University Emma Uprichard works in
the Department of Sociology at the University of York
Available: The research was published by the NSPCC in
2007 and can be downloaded from
www.nspcc.org.uk
Objectives
Over the past 20 years there has been a growing recognition of
the link between cruelty to animals, domestic violence and the
maltreatment of children. The NSPCC and the RSPCA highlighted
this issue, initially through joint conferences in 2001, but
more recently a "links" group has brought together
representatives from the child and animal welfare fields.
The authors sought to review the existing international
research and then test its messages through a small
exploratory study. The review asked these questions:
● Is childhood cruelty towards animals predictive of future
violent behaviour?
● Do domestic violence perpetrators frequently maltreat
animals to threaten, coerce, silence or intimidate their human
victims?
● Do adults who mistreat animals present a risk of abuse to
children or, on the other hand, do adults who abuse children
pose a risk to animals?
Method
This research was in two parts, the literature review and the
exploratory study. For the review, the authors searched the
main international databases for existing research. However,
they encountered some methodological difficulties. First, they
found that definitions of what constitutes "cruelty" vary,
both in terms of what is acceptable in the treatment of
animals generally and the type of animal. Second, although
variations are less marked in the case of children there are
different definitions internationally of what constitutes
maltreatment.
The second phase of the research was a small exploratory study
to test the messages of the international literature in the UK
context. The authors interviewed 111 participants in the UK,
51 from families who had contact with child welfare
organisations. The remaining 60 were a comparison group of
university students. The interviews were based on an Animal
Related Experiences Questionnaire (ARE-Q) designed to explore
attitudes and experiences of respondents to animals
Findings
In terms of whether children who mistreat animals are more
likely to become violent, the authors found several studies
that showed a correlation between childhood abuse of animals
and other problematic behaviour. One US study of 153 young
adults who had been convicted of animal cruelty showed that
70% were also convicted for at least one other offence,
including violence towards other people. They were more likely
to be involved in property-related offences or drug-related
crimes.
The literature review looked at several studies that examined
the motivations of the young people when mistreating animals
and it was clear that, although for some the behaviour was
related to curiosity or was the result of peer pressure, for
others the cruelty was an expression of past trauma. The
authors argue that, for those who went on to develop more
serious violent behaviour towards other people, cruelty to
animals was a significant stage and represented a
desensitisation of the perpetrators. Nevertheless, the authors
caution that it is difficult to predict which individual will
progress from violence against animals to violence against
other people, so care should be taken not to be crudely
deterministic.
While relatively little research has been carried out on the
link between cruelty to animals and domestic violence, the
authors found that those studies that do exist supported the
large body of anecdotal and clinical evidence that there is
such a link. In one study 53% of women who had experienced
domestic abuse said their partners had either killed or harmed
the family pet. The authors argue that child welfare
professionals should be alert to animal abuse as a possible
indicator of domestic violence.
Despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, and in contrast to
the research on domestic violence, the authors found little
research that supported a connection between the abuse of
children and the abuse of animals. However, they warn against
inferring that there is no link. The reason for the scant
research, they argue, is that child and animal welfare
organizations have not co-operated historically to produce it.
The authors report on one study that found that most child
welfare agencies do not include animal cruelty as part of
their assessment. One assessment tool, for example, the
commonly used Milner Child Abuse Potential Inventory, has only
one out of 160 points that relate to the treatment of animals.
In their exploratory study, the authors found flaws in their
hypothesis that families who had greater contact with child
welfare agencies had more pets. However, the nature of animal
ownership did vary with dog ownership - and in particular
multiple dog ownership - among the group using child welfare
services. The pets had a central place in many of these
families because, for those going through a period of stress,
the animals were an important source of comfort, particularly
for children.
The children who were in contact with child welfare
professionals were no more likely to have witnessed animal
cruelty than others, according to this study. But there was a
much higher incidence of their witnessing threats towards
animals. The authors say this chimes with the higher
prevalence of domestic violence in the group using child
welfare services.
The authors conclude that, although the correlation between
animal cruelty and child maltreatment at the lower levels
should not be exaggerated, it may be the case that it is more
marked where individual adults or young people are exhibiting
more extreme behaviour.
Links and Resources
● Animal Abuse and Child Maltreatment. NSPCC research report
presents the findings from a UK study on the links between
animal cruelty and child abuse.
● The Links Group. Multi-agency group with representatives
from key child protection and animal welfare organisations.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
Cruelty to animals as an indicator of concerns about children
● At present, few assessments consider the role of pets in
family life. Clearly animal cruelty, particularly in its more
extreme forms is an important issue that professionals
consider. Although the link is not fully understood at
present, there is evidence to suggest a relationship between
child and animal cruelty.
● Be specific about the nature of animal cruelty. There are
wide variations in the nature and degree of what is held to
constitute animal cruelty. It is therefore important that,
when there are concerns, a detailed account is given in
assessments of the concern and the nature of the animal
itself.
● Being more aware of the presence, meaning of and treatment
towards animals in family assessments.
● Practitioners should also be more aware of the broader
meaning and role of pets in family life because this can be an
important dimension in understanding the patterns of
relationships and beliefs in families.
Cultural attitudes towards animals
Practitioners should caution against imposing their own
beliefs and values in relation to animals on the families with
whom they work. Stereotypes and assumptions should be avoided
and each family's attitude towards animals should be assessed
on an individual basis.
Links between child and animal welfare groups
One conclusion of this study, and indeed the work between the
NSPCC and RSPCA generally, is that there is much to be gained
from stronger links between child and animal welfare
organisations. Animal welfare professionals can be a valuable
source of information regarding children and vice versa.
James Blewett is research director at the Social Care
Workforce Research Unit, King's College London
Source:
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/10/30/109812/the-link-between-animal-cruelty-and-child-protection.html
