An Exploration of Type of Animal Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior research has identified a relationship between animal abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV). However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between IPV and type of animal abused. From a sample of 851 participants, this study explored, using unadjusted odds ratios, the bivariate relationships between types of IPV victimization (e.g., psychological, physical, and severe IPV) and partners’ abuse of cats, dogs, small pets, and horses. The strongest association was between the partner’s abuse of cats and severe IPV victimization. The partner’s cat abuse was associated with a 1,232% increase in the likelihood of severe IPV for women and a 945% increase for men. Cat abuse and dog abuse were significantly associated with all types of IPV, abuse of small pets was associated with physical and severe IPV, and horse abuse was not significantly related to IPV. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between types of animal abuse (e.g., neglect, emotional abuse, threats, physical abuse, and severe physical abuse) for cats and dogs and IPV. Cat neglect was most strongly associated with severe IPV and increased the likelihood of it by approximately 3,700%. Dog neglect increased the likelihood of severe IPV by approximately 1,600%. Results from the study indicate that there are differences between type of animal abused in relationship to IPV and highlights the need for future research to examine types of animal abuse separately.