Bullying and Animal cruelty: Is there a connection as related to adolescent criminal behavior?
Henry, B. C., & Sanders, C. E. (2007). Bullying and animal abuse: Is there a connection?. Society and Animals, 15(2), 107-126.
The investigation emerged from the recognition of educators, law enforcement officers, and psychologist over the heightening of the incidence of violence in schools. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the constructs: bullying, abuse of animals, and victimization. The investigation sought to determine whether those who have bully other people were also involved in cruelty to animals. Bullying refers to the perpetration of emotional and physical harm to other individuals. Abuse of animals refers to acts inflicting harm or pain to animals. Victimization refers to two situations, an individual as a previous direct victim of bullying or as an observer or indirect witness to acts of bullying against another person. The research questions focused on determining the existence of a relationship between bullying and abuse of animals with victimization as the determining variable as well as the nature and extent of the difference in the relationship depending on victimization.
The independent variable is victimization because this variable determines the commission of bullying and/or animal cruelty. The dependent variables are bullying and animal cruelty. The study obtained data on bullying and experiences of victimization, and animal abuse and attitudes toward animals from a respondent group of 185 male college students. The analytical method employed one-way ANOVA to determine or comparison of the means of different groups, i.e. direct victimization and bullying, indirect victimization and bullying, and those involved in direct or indirect bullying together with animal abuse.
The statistical measure used was appropriate because the purpose of the study is to determine the relationship between the variables by measuring for differences among different groups. The use of the one-way ANOVA showed that there is a significant relationship between direct victimization and bullying with greater involvement in animal abuse. This finds expression from the significant variance between the means of the group involved in bullying and animal cruelty depending on direct and indirect victimization. The respondents with means higher than the median in relation to both victimization and bullying had highest rates of successive commission of animal abuse.
Gullone, E., & Robertson, N. (2008). The relationship between bullying and animal abuse behaviors in adolescents: The importance of witnessing animal abuse. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(5), 371-379.
The study commenced with the recognition of the likely co-occurrence of bullying and abuse of animals coinciding with the assumption that violence and violent behavior progresses from inflicting harm on animals and then to humans as the perpetrator matures or those with previous records of animal abuse have a tendency to engage in bullying. The investigations sought to test the hypothesis that the abuse of animals during childhood is a predictor of aggressive behavior towards people. The study provided answers to the questions on whether incidence of animal abuse predicts bullying and if so the extent of predictive relationship.
The independent variable is animal cruelty because this factor commonly occurred in the respondents and tested for its determining relationship with bullying. The dependent variable is subsequent bullying as an aftermath of animal abuse. There are only two variables but animal abuse could either be direct and indirect participation; and family conflict is also another construct under animal abuse. In addition, bullying also finds influence from victimization. Data came from 241 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Of this number, 20.6 percent have previously engaged in animal abuse for sometime and 17.8 percent engaged in bullying for one occasion at the least in the past year.
Multiple regression analysis with ANOVA applied in analyzing the data to determine relationship between the predictor variable and dependent variable by considering the degree of variance. The statistical method employed suited the requirements of the study because the intention was to determine whether animal abuse determines bullying and the extent of the relationship. By using this method, the results showed that those who witnessed animal abuse predict both abuse of animals and bullying. Family conflict only determines animal abuse. Victimization is only a determinant of bullying. As such, the link between animal abuse and bullying finds support in witnessing of animal abuse. This has implications on the preventive and interventionist practices that should focus on risk individuals, those who have witnessed animal abuse. Treatment of animal abuse should be priority.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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