NCJ Number
218286
Journal
Violence Against Women: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 354-373
Date Published
April 2007
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study compared animal abuse reported by women who had experienced domestic violence versus nonabused women.
Abstract
The results indicated that severe physical violence was a significant predictor of pet abuse. Findings revealed that women who had been abused (S group) were almost 11 times more likely to report that their partner had injured or killed pets compared to women who had not experienced domestic violence (NS group). The S group also reported threats to harm their pets at four times the rate of the NS group. The S group reported being emotionally close to their pets and upset about their abuse and also reported that their children were often exposed to pet abuse. Importantly, the findings also indicated that a small subset of S group women, mainly those without children, reported putting off seeking domestic violence shelter assistance due to fears about leaving their pets. The findings suggest that this obstacle to seeking safe shelter should be addressed by domestic violence agencies. Participants were a convenience sample of 101 female victims of domestic violence who had sought shelter at 1 of 5 domestic violence programs in Utah. Recruitment occurred during orientation meetings and on an individual basis. A comparison sample of 120 community women was recruited for the study via flyers and newspaper advertisements. Both groups of participants completed the Conflict Tactics Scale. Data were analyzed using cross-tabulations and logistic regression analyses. Future studies should focus on comparing domestic violence-related pet abuse occurring in urban versus rural areas. Tables, appendix, notes, references