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RESEARCH PRODUCT
The relationship between animal cruelty in children and adolescent and interpersonal violence: A systematic review
Claudio LongobardiLaura Badenes-riberasubject
Animal abuse2734Poison controlCrueltyInterpersonal violencePathology and Forensic MedicineDevelopmental psychologyInjury preventionJuvenile delinquencyHuman violenceCruelty to animals0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesAntisocial behaviorAnimal cruelty050901 criminology05 social sciencesHuman factors and ergonomicsChildhoodAdolescenceClinical PsychologySystematic reviewPsychiatry and Mental HealthAdolescence; Animal abuse; Animal cruelty; Antisocial behavior; Childhood; Human violence; Interpersonal violence; Systematic review; 2734; Clinical Psychology; Psychiatry and Mental HealthSystematic review0509 other social sciencesPsychologyDeviance (sociology)050104 developmental & child psychologydescription
Abstract The following study is a systematic review of the relationship between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. The systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines and combined with the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, enabled us to locate 32 studies published between 1995 and July 2017. Overall, the results show that episodes of animal cruelty during childhood and adolescence tend to co-occur alongside other forms of violent and antisocial behaviors. Cruelty to animals was associated with bullying, behavioral problems, experiences of abuse (emotional, physical and sexual), and juvenile delinquency. Furthermore, recurrent animal cruelty during childhood and adolescence was a significant predictor of the future adult perpetration of interpersonal violence. Specifically, drowning animals or committing sexual acts with them predicted future adult violence directed against other humans. These findings lend empirical support to the progression, or graduation, hypothesis and the deviance generalization hypothesis. The implications of these results for clinical practice and future research are discussed. Finally, since this review has found significant limitations in the literature analyzed, methodological recommendations are provided and discussed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-01 |