Animal Maltreatment in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: A Manifestation of Power and Control?

This study tests the theoretically informed assumption that intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal abuse so frequently co-occur because animal maltreatment is instrumentalized by abusers to harm human victims. Using data from a survey of abused women in Canadian shelters, we find that threats to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Violence against women 2019-12, Vol.25 (15), p.1806-1828
Main Authors: Fitzgerald, Amy J., Barrett, Betty Jo, Stevenson, Rochelle, Cheung, Chi Ho
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abused women
Abusers
Animals
Cruelty to animals
Domestic violence
Emotional abuse
Intimate partner violence
Pets
Power
Shelters
Victims
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Summary:This study tests the theoretically informed assumption that intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal abuse so frequently co-occur because animal maltreatment is instrumentalized by abusers to harm human victims. Using data from a survey of abused women in Canadian shelters, we find that threats to harm “pets,” emotional animal abuse, and animal neglect are clearly perceived by these survivors as being intentionally perpetrated by their abuser and motivated by a desire to upset and control them; the findings related to physical animal abuse are not as straightforward. Building on these findings, we propose a more nuanced theorizing of the coexistence of animal maltreatment and IPV.
ISSN:1077-8012
1552-8448
DOI:10.1177/1077801218824993