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Animal abuse in the context of adult intimate partner violence: A systematic review

journal contribution
posted on 2021-11-10, 01:25 authored by Michelle ClearyMichelle Cleary, Deependra ThapaDeependra Thapa, Sancia West, Mark Westman, Rachel Kornhaber
This systematic review focused on animal cruelty in abusive adult intimate partner relationships with a specific focus on the prevalence, motivations, and impact of animal abuse on victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the pets involved. Peer-reviewed research articles were sourced from online databases PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and PsycInfo in July 2020. Overall, 427 records were retrieved, of which 35 articles from 30 studies were included in this review. Relevant data were extracted, with results presented as a narrative summary. The findings showed that the prevalence of animal abuse is high in households with intimate partner violence (range: 21%–89%) and there is a significant relationship between intimate partner violence and animal abuse. Both are often perpetrated concurrently, with animal abuse used as a mechanism to control the partner and facilitate intimate partner violence. Animal abuse affected a victim’s decision to leave the abusive relationship and seek support and had an ongoing psychological impact on both animal and human victims. The findings have practical implications for organizations, professionals and researchers working in the field of intimate partner violence and animal abuse.

Funding

Category 3 - Industry and Other Research Income

History

Volume

61

Start Page

1

End Page

17

Number of Pages

17

eISSN

1873-6335

ISSN

1359-1789

Publisher

Elsevier

Additional Rights

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Language

en

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • Yes

Acceptance Date

2021-10-15

External Author Affiliations

University of Tasmania; University of Sydney

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Journal

Aggression and Violent Behavior

Article Number

101676

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