Projects per year
Abstract / Description of output
Despite growing research interest in human-animal relationships, little is known about children’s relationships with animals, especially childhood cruelty to animals and the possible causes of this behaviour. Investigating potential risks of cruel behaviour towards animals has great implications for animal welfare and child wellbeing, as well as being vital for designing and implementing successful interventions. The purpose of this review was to investigate the potential psychological and behavioural predictors of childhood cruelty to animals. The aim was to assemble, synthesise and evaluate existing empirical research and highlight areas in need of further study. The systematic review was conducted by obtaining articles from eighteen electronic databases covering a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the diversity of animal cruelty research. The review reveals a myriad of psychological and behavioural difficulties related to childhood animal cruelty, highlighting the extent to which this area is neglected in psychological research. Through the identification of factors that ‘at risk’ children have in common, organisations such as animal welfare charities can be better equipped to intervene and promote empathy and compassionate behaviour toward animals.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 280-312 |
Journal | Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 1 Jun 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- animal cruelty
- childhood
- behavioural disorders
- psychological disorders
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Psychological risk factors for childhood nonhuman animal cruelty: A systematic review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Prevention Through Education Programme on Children's Attitudes towards Animal Welfare
21/07/14 → 31/12/17
Project: Research
Research output
- 1 Article
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Children’s beliefs about animal minds (Child-BAM): Associations with positive and negative child-animal interactions
Hawkins, R. D. & Williams, J. M., Sept 2016, In: Anthrozoös. 29, 3, p. 503-519 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Press/Media
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Dr Joanne Williams (Health in Social Sciences) discussed psychological factors in animal cruelty
26/02/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment