Animal Abuse Among High-Risk Youth: A Test of Agnew's Theory

Overview

Journal Deviant Behav

Specialty Psychology

Date 2020 Jun 18

PMID 32546877

Authors

Thomas J Mowen

John H Boman 4th

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Concern over animal abuse among policy-makers, law enforcement officials, and the general public remains high. Although research has marked animal abuse as an indicator of a variety of deviant outcomes, fewer projects have examined the correlates of cruelty towards animals. In this study, we apply Agnew's theory of animal abuse to explore how a wide-range of characteristics relate to deviance towards animals. In support of Agnew's theory, results reveal that a combination of individual traits and behaviors, socialization experiences, and mechanisms of social control significantly relate to animal abuse. However, measures of strain do not appear to relate to animal abuse, providing only partial support to the theory.

Citing Articles

Harnessing RSPCA Stakeholder Expertise to Co-Produce a Complex Intervention Addressing Childhood and Adolescent Animal Harm.

Lawrie S, Blakey C, Hawkins R, Williams J Animals (Basel). 2025; 15(3).

PMID: 39943117 PMC: 11816218. DOI: 10.3390/ani15030347.

References

Trzesniewski K, Donnellan M, Moffitt T, Robins R, Poulton R, Caspi A . Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. Dev Psychol. 2006; 42(2):381-90. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.381. View

Moffitt T . Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: a developmental taxonomy. Psychol Rev. 1993; 100(4):674-701. View

Walton-Moss B, Manganello J, Frye V, Campbell J . Risk factors for intimate partner violence and associated injury among urban women. J Community Health. 2005; 30(5):377-89. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-005-5518-x. View

Krohn M, Lizotte A, Perez C . The interrelationship between substance use and precocious transitions to adult statuses. J Health Soc Behav. 1997; 38(1):87-103. View

Fazel S, Bains P, Doll H . Substance abuse and dependence in prisoners: a systematic review. Addiction. 2006; 101(2):181-91. DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2006.01316.x. View

Vaughn M, Fu Q, Beaver K, DeLisi M, Perron B, Howard M . Effects of childhood adversity on bullying and cruelty to animals in the United States: findings from a national sample. J Interpers Violence. 2011; 26(17):3509-25. PMC: 3264679. DOI: 10.1177/0886260511403763. View

Broidy L, Nagin D, Tremblay R, Bates J, Brame B, Dodge K . Developmental trajectories of childhood disruptive behaviors and adolescent delinquency: a six-site, cross-national study. Dev Psychol. 2003; 39(2):222-45. PMC: 2753823. DOI: 10.1037//0012-1649.39.2.222. View

Patterson G, Forgatch M, Yoerger K, Stoolmiller M . Variables that initiate and maintain an early-onset trajectory for juvenile offending. Dev Psychopathol. 1998; 10(3):531-47. DOI: 10.1017/s0954579498001734. View

White I, Royston P, Wood A . Multiple imputation using chained equations: Issues and guidance for practice. Stat Med. 2011; 30(4):377-99. DOI: 10.1002/sim.4067. View

10.

Ascione F, Weber C, Thompson T, Heath J, Maruyama M, Hayashi K . Battered pets and domestic violence: animal abuse reported by women experiencing intimate violence and by nonabused women. Violence Against Women. 2007; 13(4):354-73. DOI: 10.1177/1077801207299201. View

11.

Weinberger D, Schwartz G . Distress and restraint as superordinate dimensions of self-reported adjustment: a typological perspective. J Pers. 1990; 58(2):381-417. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1990.tb00235.x. View

12.

Monahan K, Steinberg L, Cauffman E . Affiliation with antisocial peers, susceptibility to peer influence, and antisocial behavior during the transition to adulthood. Dev Psychol. 2009; 45(6):1520-30. PMC: 2886974. DOI: 10.1037/a0017417. View

13.

Luk E, Staiger P, Wong L, Mathai J . Children who are cruel to animals: a revisit. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1999; 33(1):29-36. DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.1999.00528.x. View

14.

Conger R, Ge X, Elder Jr G, Lorenz F, Simons R . Economic stress, coercive family process, and developmental problems of adolescents. Child Dev. 1994; 65(2 Spec No):541-61. View

15.

Beatson R, Halloran M . Humans rule! The effects of creatureliness reminders, mortality salience and self-esteem on attitudes towards animals. Br J Soc Psychol. 2007; 46(Pt 3):619-32. DOI: 10.1348/014466606X147753. View

16.

DeRogatis L, Melisaratos N . The Brief Symptom Inventory: an introductory report. Psychol Med. 1983; 13(3):595-605. View

17.

Walters G, Noon A . Family context and externalizing correlates of childhood animal cruelty in adjudicated delinquents. J Interpers Violence. 2014; 30(8):1369-86. DOI: 10.1177/0886260514540328. View

18.

Tallichet S, Hensley C . Rural and urban differences in the commission of animal cruelty. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2005; 49(6):711-26. DOI: 10.1177/0306624X04274186. View

19.

Loeber R, Farrington D . Young children who commit crime: epidemiology, developmental origins, risk factors, early interventions, and policy implications. Dev Psychopathol. 2001; 12(4):737-62. DOI: 10.1017/s0954579400004107. View