Animal Maltreatment in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: A Manifestation of Power and Control?. (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fitzgerald, Amy J.; Barrett, Betty Jo; Stevenson, Rochelle; Cheung, Chi Ho
• Is Part Of: Violence against women. Volume 25:Number 15(2019)
• Page Start: 1806
• Page End: 1828
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: animal abuse -- intimate partner violence -- power and control; Abused women -- Periodicals; Women -- Crimes against -- Periodicals; Violent crimes -- Periodicals; Femmes victimes de violence -- Périodiques; Femmes, Crimes contre les -- Périodiques; Crimes violents -- Périodiques; 362.8292
• DOI: 10.1177/1077801218824993
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1077-8012

Abstract

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.