anthrozoology.org

 Tiplady, Cm.  Walsh, Db.  Phillips, Cjc.

  Loukaki, K.; Koukoutsakis, P.; Kostomitsopoulos, N.

Conceptualising animal abuse with an antisocial behaviour framework. (Special issue: Minding animals: Emerging issues concerning our relationships with other animals.)

Labrecque, J.; Walsh, C. A.;

Loukaki, K.; Koukoutsakis, P.; Kostomitsopoulos, N.

Fielding, W. J.; Plumridge, S.;

Pagani, C.; Robustelli, F.; Ascione, F. R.;
Anthrozoos. 2010. 23: 3, 259-276.

This paper focuses on some basic issues that have been an object of debate in the last few years in the field of human-animal studies, namely the meaning and definition of animal abuse, the methods used to investigate it, and the relation between animal abuse and interpersonal violence. The interconnections among these issues are discussed within a theoretical framework that underlines the role of cultures in affecting people's attitudes and behaviors toward animals.

Some of our assumptions are:
(a) in the study of animal abuse experiences it is necessary to understand participants' conceptualizations of animal abuse;
(b) it is important to use qualitative, in addition to quantitative, data, especially if we want to gain a deeper insight into animal abuse experiences, in particular into perpetrators' motivations;
(c) it is imperative that the field of animal abuse research is considered an integral and important component not only of psychiatry and clinical psychology but also of sociology and social psychology;
(d) the commonalities between animal abuse and interpersonal violence are deep and numerous.

Some general issues regarding the development of instruments to assess animal abuse are also discussed. A significant support to our theoretical considerations is provided by some qualitative data we obtained from a study that involved 137 pupils aged 9-16 years (70 girls and 67 boys) in three Italian schools and whose main aim was to field-test and validate the Italian version of the child self-report form of The Children and Animals Inventory (CAI).

Dairy farmer attitudes and empathy toward animals are associated with animal welfare indicators.

Kielland C. Skjerve E. Osteras O. Zanella AJ. Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, 0033 Oslo, Norway.

Journal of Dairy Science. 93(7):2998-3006, 2010 Jul.

Attitudes and empathy of farmers influence human-animal interaction, thereby affecting their behavior toward animals. The goal was to investigate how measures of attitude and empathy toward animals were associated with animal welfare indicators such as milk yield, mastitis incidence, fertility index, and the prevalence of skin lesions on cows. To assess empathy toward animals, a photo-based pain assessment instrument was developed depicting various conditions that could be associated with some degree of pain in cattle and included questions aimed at assessing attitudes toward animals. Photos of painful conditions are useful in eliciting measurable empathic responses to pain in humans. A total of 221 farmers were sampled via e-mail and 154 responses were obtained. In the first analysis, farmers were categorized into 2 groups according to their agreement or disagreement with the attitude statement "animals experience physical pain as humans do." In the second analysis, farmers were assigned a median pain assessment score obtained from their estimates on the visual analog scale of 21 conditions assumed painful for cattle. In the third analysis, farmers were clustered in 3 groups according to their visual analog scale responses. Three conditions were ranked as the most painful: fracture of tuber coxae, dystocia, and serious mastitis. Farmers with positive attitudes toward animals scored 2 points higher on their empathy score compared with farmers with negative attitudes. Personal experience with each additional condition resulted in a 0.09 higher score. Cluster analysis revealed 3 groups. Farmers in group 3 had the highest median pain assessment score (6.7+/-0.2), indicating a high level of empathy and a positive attitude toward animals. They had the lowest prevalence of skin lesions over the carpus (24+/-6%) and the lowest milk production (6,705+/-202kg). The complex associations between indicators of empathy and attitudes with relevant welfare outcomes suggest that competence building to safeguard animal welfare could benefit from including both attitudes and empathy in human-animal interactions studies.

The association between pet care and deviant household behaviors in an Afro-Caribbean, college student community in New Providence, The Bahamas.

Fielding, W. J.; Plumridge, S.;

Anthrozoos. 2010. 23: 1, 69-78.

The link between domestic violence, both at the household and personal levels, other deviant behaviors, and pet care was observed through survey responses from 641 college students in New Providence, The Bahamas. The "link" with domestic violence at the household level was found both when pets were intentionally harmed and when pets were "not well cared for," and between the respondent being a victim of domestic violence and the intentional harm of pets. The prevalence of alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, illegal drug use, and the presence of a convicted criminal in the household were higher in households where animals were intentionally harmed; similar results were seen when animals were not well cared for. Violence as a means of disciplining pets was common. The data suggest that within an Afro-Caribbean society, cross-reporting may be beneficial in identifying households at greater risk of domestic violence, through careful monitoring of animal care as well as intentional cruelty. Educating pet caregivers to train animals non-violently may be a way of reducing violence towards domestic pets and, possibly, humans.