The Effects of Seeing Animal Abuse on Children's Mental Health

animal abuse Animal cruelty children domestic violence mental health research

The Effects of Seeing Animal Abuse on Children's Mental Health

Comment  

For children who live in a situation of domestic violence, also witnessing animal cruelty may negatively impact resilience.

New research by Shelby McDonald (Virginia Commonwealth University) et al (2016) looks at the effects of seeing animal abuse on children’s psychological health in a context where they already witness intimate partner violence. Last week I reported on a study by McDonald et al (2015) that found a quarter of children whosemothers experience domestic violence also see their pet threatened or abused, and that most often the child says the motivation is to control the mother. Since pets are often sources of social support for children, this may be especially traumatic; the effects of this are the focus of the new study.

Children who are exposed to domestic violence are at risk of psychological problems, and yet some children are surprisingly resilient. One aim of McDonald’s (2016) study was to explore patterns in how children function when there is a family context of domestic violence. Secondly, they wanted to find out about the risk factors for not doing well, and specifically whether being exposed to cruelty to pets in the home worsens children’s mental health.

An ethnically-diverse sample of 291 children aged 7 – 12 took part. They were recruited through their mother’s use of domestic violence services in one state in the US, and they all had a family pet at home. On average, the women had been experiencing domestic violence for nine years.

Each mother and child completed questionnaires. The child’s exposure to animal cruelty was assessed via questions that asked the mother whether her partner had “ever threatened to hurt or kill a family pet” and if he had “ever actually hurt or killed a family pet.”

The results found that children could be grouped into three categories depending on how well they were coping: Resilient, Struggling, and Severe Maladjustment. Children in the group with the most problems (Severe Maladjustment) were much more likely to have experienced animal cruelty in the home. This shows how important it is to have a better understanding of how exposure to animal abuse affects children. 

Dr. Shelby McDonald told me, “we examined six domains of adjustment among children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV): social problems, attention problems, internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, empathy, and callous/unemotional traits. Our results provided support for three distinct profiles of socioemotional functioning in our sample: Resilient (66%; n=191), Struggling (28%; n=83), and Severe Maladjustment (6%; n=17). 

“In the context of human-animal interactions research, the most important thing to note is that children exposed to animal cruelty were 3.26 times more likely to be in the “struggling” group and 5.72 times more likely to be in the “severe problems” group compared to the reference group of resilient children (however, these estimates must be interpreted with caution due to the large confidence intervals).  

“This finding pertaining to the significance of children’s exposure to animal cruelty is important and suggests that the identification of animal maltreatment among families receiving IPV services has important implications for the mental health and well-being of children. Including questions about companion animals in assessments for families impacted by IPV may help distinguish children at greater risk for psychological maladjustment. 

“Despite the fact that approximately 68% of households in the United States report owning a companion animal and a notable 85% consider pets to be a member of the family, routine integration of questions about pets in the family are not consistently implemented in clinical settings or community agencies that provide family services. 

“Questions about animals in the household can be easily integrated into intake and assessment procedures in a variety of settings (e.g., child protective services, schools, mental health clinics, crisis hotlines, domestic violence shelters) in order to expand the ecological lens from which practitioners approach working with family systems.”

Although the study does not prove a causal relationship between children's experiences of seeing animal cruelty and poor mental health, it has important implications for practice. The full paper is available via the link below or researchgate and is essential reading for anyone working in this field. 

 

Reference

McDonald, S., Graham-Bermann, S., Maternick, A., Ascione, F., & Williams, J. (2016). Patterns of Adjustment among Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: a Person-Centered Approach Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma DOI: 10.1007/s40653-016-0079-y

Photo: HalizovS (Shutterstock)
You might also like:
What pets do children have and which do they prefer?
Is caring for animals good for young people’s social development?
What is a typical animal hoarder?

Children's Experiences of Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse

animal abuse children domestic violence pets research

Children's Experiences of Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse

Comment  

24% of children whose mothers experience domestic violence also see threats to or abuse of companion animals, research shows.

Every year in the US, 1 in 15 children is exposed to intimate partner violence, according to a national survey. Research by Shelby McDonald(Virginia Commonwealth University) et al finds many also witness abuse of pets in the home, potentially adding to the impacts on their behaviour and mental health.

The researchers interviewed children age 7 – 12 whose mothers had used domestic violence services in the past year. Of 242 children, a quarter had seen someone threaten to or actually injure/kill a pet. They analyzed the data from this group to find out more about the animal abuse these children saw. 

The results show the patterns of animal abuse that children describe as happening in the home, the different family members involved, and the reasons children give as to why it occurs. For children who witness this, it may be especially traumatic, since pets can be a form of social support during difficult times.

Dr. Shelby McDonald told me, “Children experience close bonds with companion animals and rely on pets as a way of managing stress. In the context of high stress, unpredictable environments such as a households experiencing family violence, pets may serve as security-providing attachment figures, offering comfort, consistency, and support to children who are coping with adverse environments. 

“In addition, positive interactions with pets and caring for pets in the home may provide important opportunities for children to build self-esteem, develop empathy, and increase social interactions with peers and members of their community. 

“Thus, the presence of a pet in the home may function as a protective factor that helps buffer the impact of IPV [intimate partner violence] on the child.  Certainly, the protective impact of having a beloved pet in the home would likely be compromised if the pet were being abused in the context of multidirectional family violence.”

The researchers found three contexts in which animal abuse occurred. Most commonly, the mother’s partner threatened or hurt the pet as a way to frighten and control the mother. For example, one boy said, “When my mom and I do not clean well or get up early, he [dad] gets angry and starts kicking the dog with his boot and starts throwing him against the wall time and time again.” 

Children seemed to recognize this kind of behaviour was aimed at upsetting their mother, and sometimes themselves too, as in the example above (‘my mom and I’). For women in these situations, seeing their child upset at abuse of the family pet may add to negative feelings and self-blame. 

At other times, violence was used by the mother, their partner or siblings as a way of punishing the pet for misbehaviour. For example, one girl said, “My dad kicked the dog when it tried to bite visitors to my house.” There was a wide range, from pulling the leash too hard to inflicting serious damage. The authors say that since physical punishment is common for children in households with domestic violence, it is no surprise to see it applied to pets. Also, physically punished pets may become aggressive, potentially leading to more harsh treatment. 

This shows children drawing a distinction between perceived punishment (that they might consider justified) and abuse (that wasn’t justified). This is interesting because at this age children are developing ideas about fairness, and it is believed children’s understanding of interpersonal violence is important for long-term outcomes.

The third context was siblings abusing the animal, for example, “my little brother just got mad and threw the cat down the stairs.” Some children said they had sometimes hurt their pet too.

78% said they had protected or tried to help a pet. Sometimes they took preventive action to keep animals away from their mother’s partner, such as putting the pet in their room. Some children said they directly intervened, e.g. one boy said, “When my dad was trying to hurt my dog, I grabbed my dog and said ‘No, Dad, no.’”

Children’s interventions show pets are important to them, but many domestic violence shelters do not allow pets. The researchers say children may need help in coming to terms with not having been able to help or save their pet, and that humane education programs to teach them how to properly interact with animals may also be beneficial.

This important study shows more research is needed on the effects these experiences have on children. Further research by the same team investigates the risk factors that affect how well children cope with witnessing animal abuse.

The full paper is available via the link below or on researchgate.

Reference

McDonald SE, Collins EA, Nicotera N, Hageman TO, Ascione FR, Williams JH, & Graham-Bermann SA (2015). Children's experiences of companion animal maltreatment in households characterized by intimate partner violence. Child abuse & neglect, 50, 116-27 PMID: 26520828
Photo: m.sava8 (Shutterstock).

You might also like:
Is cruelty to animals in childhood a predictor of later criminal behaviour? 
Are negative personality traits linked to cruelty to animals?
Are young children more interested in animals than toys?