Man’s Best Friend and Sometimes Target
Negative Interpersonal Relations Are Related to Animal Abuse Proclivity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12418967 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jade Ford (School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent England, corresponding author), Amber Bytheway (School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent England), Emma Alleyne (0000-0003-4335-7176, School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent England) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 113-132 |
| Publication date | 2020-02-21 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Society and Animals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1063-1119 • E-ISSN: 1568-5306 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/15685306-12341596 |
| OpenAlex | W3007009506 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 43 |
Emerging research regarding the psychological correlates of nonhuman animal abuse is warranted by the high prevalence of abuse. The few studies to examine factors related to animal abuse have found that those who commit such offenses commonly experience dysfunctional childhoods and high anxiety levels. Yet, no study has examined how attachment styles (by-products of maladaptive childhoods), social-anxiety, and animal abuse proclivity are inter-related. Therefore, this study assessed the association between attachment styles and social anxiety as indicators of animal abuse proclivity within an adult sample. It was found that an anxious attachment significantly correlated with direct proclivity (i.e., animal as the perceived provocateur) while the relationship between social anxiety and indirect animal abuse proclivity (i.e., animal as the outlet for aggression) was mediated by avoidant attachment. These findings emphasize the importance of exploring how interpersonal relationships influence our relationship with animals, to advance treatment and assessment of animal abusers
Aggression · Anxiety · Attachment theory · Child abuse · Developmental psychology · Dysfunctional family · Injury prevention · Interpersonal communication · Poison control · Psychiatry · Psychological abuse · Social anxiety · Clinical Psychology · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology
Social inequalities and the common mental disorders
Positive emotion dispositions differentially associated with Big Five personality and attachment style
Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety11Editor’s note
The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory
Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Child Abuse and Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence, Parent-Child Attachments, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence
The Relationship of Animal Abuse to Violence and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior
Social Cognitive Theory in Cultural Context
Gender Differences in Human–Animal Interactions
Children Who are Cruel to Animals
The Causes of Animal Abuse
Battered Pets and Domestic Violence
Animal Abuse in Childhood and Later Support for Interpersonal Violence in Families
Taking It Out on the Dog
Non-Human Animal Abuse and Wildlife Trade
Gender Identity, Self-Esteem, and Physical and Sexual Abuse in Dating Relationships
The Social Meaning of Pets
Pets and the Socialization of Children
Selective Activation and Disengagement of Moral Control
Adult attachment style and affect regulation
Withstanding moral disengagement
Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples
Adult attachment security and symptoms of depression
The need to belong
Relations among Need for Power, Affect and Attitudes toward Animal Cruelty
Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors in Adolescents
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |