Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2010

Abstract

Recently in the United States and Europe, studies have implied that child abuse and animal abuse coexist in the same households, and the implications of these studies have contributed to the early detection and intervention of child abuse. Although a promising area of study, in Japan, there are no published empirical studies examining the relationship between children in abusive families and their companion animals. Hence, this study examines the differences between abused children and non-abused in Japan on their experiences with animals. The Boat Inventory on Animal Related Experience (BIARE) (Boat 1999), a questionnaire on positive and negative experiences with animals, was used to survey a group of children at an institution for children who cannot live at their homes for various reasons including abuse (abused children, group A, N = 26) and a group of children at an elementary school (non-abused children, group C, N = 113). Overall, compared to group C, group A engaged in more activities with animals and used animals as a source of support. At the same time, Group A was more likely to witness more animal abuse and commit more serious animal abuse compared to group C. Implications of the results for the Japanese child protection agencies were discussed – that is, currently the Japanese child protection agencies are aware of the benefits of animals for vulnerable children, but they should also be aware of the negative aspects of the relationship and take necessary measures for risk control.

Comments

This paper is a preprint of the following published paper:

Yamazaki, S. (2010). A comparison of maltreated children and non-maltreated children on their experiences with animals—A Japanese study, Anthrozoös, 23, 55-67. DOI: 10.2752/175303710X12627079939189

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