Children who abuse animals: when should you be concerned about child abuse? A review of the literature

Archives of Disease in Childhood
Richard Lee-Kelland, Fiona Finlay

Abstract

Animal abuse by children is common, with 3-44% of children being reported to abuse animals at some point during their childhood. Much of this behaviour may be regarded as an extension of exploratory behaviour in a younger child; however, the apparent link between child and animal abuse is an area of increasing interest; with children who abuse animals being 2-3 times more likely to be directly abused themselves. How concerned should a health professional be that a child who abuses animals could themselves be the victim of abuse? We reviewed the literature on the subject, finding that abuse to an animal that is perpetrated by an older child (>10 years) is more likely to be associated with child abuse. Animal abuse is less common in girls compared with boys and there is some suggestion that child abuse may be more likely in these cases. Some papers have reported a higher prevalence of animal abuse in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental delay and conduct disorder, but the relationship with child abuse in these cases is unknown. Information on both child and animal abuse needs to be shared between the veterinary, medical and social care teams in order to protect both children and animals who are vu...Continue Reading

References

Jun 24, 2004·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Kimberly D BeckerLaura A McCloskey
Feb 14, 2006·Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health : CBMH·Anna C Baldry
Apr 8, 2006·Child Abuse & Neglect·Cheryl L Currie
Mar 11, 2008·Journal of Interpersonal Violence·Anne M VolantGrahame J Coleman
Apr 30, 2014·Journal of Interpersonal Violence·Kelly E KnightSara B Simmons
Mar 11, 2017·Research in Veterinary Science·Stefany MonsalveRita Garcia

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Attention Disorders

Attention is involved in all cognitive activities, and attention disorders are reported in patients with various neurological diseases. Here are the latest discoveries pertaining to attention disorders.

Related Papers

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie
W M HeffronC K Moore
Sexual Abuse : a Journal of Research and Treatment
Jill S LevensonJohn W Morin
Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
L Rounds
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved