Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Date of Award

Winter 12-16-2022

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Advisor(s)

Katelyn Jetelina

Second Advisor

Cici Bauer

Third Advisor

Linda Highfield

Abstract

One predictor of intimate partner violence (IPV) occurring in the home is pet abuse. The high prevalence of pet cruelty among IPV relationship can create a significant barrier to seeking help due to the inability to bring the pet or concern for the pet’s wellbeing. This human-animal bond is a more common source of emotional support among victims with experiences of pet abuse, as opposed to women whose pets had not been abused. This study 1) explored the relationship between victims of IPV and their pets, the dynamics and characteristics of situations of co-victimization (i.e., abuse of both a human and their pet by the same perpetrator) and the association with a victim’s resiliency to mental illness, 2) the association with a victim’s help-seeking behaviors, and 3) characterized the risk of co-victimization across neighborhoods and assessed the spatial association with the proportion of adults reporting mental illness. First, a cross-sectional study of survey responses from a sample of IPV victims seeking shelter and resources at organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth found that half identified as pet owners and half of those pet owners had experiences of co-victimization. These instances of abuse were often types of neglect (32%) and physical abuse (35%). Animal cruelty was not a statistically significant predictor of a victim’s resilience to mental illness. There was commonality of dogs (97%) amongst relationships with co-victimization as well as assistance animal registration (31%). Pet owners were highly bonded with their pets. Age, education, and race/ethnicity were all observed as having notable effect sizes on co-victimization (g=-0.27, V=0.20, V=0.22, respectively). The second paper found that not all types of animal cruelty co-victimization were identified as predictors of help-seeking behavior but physical animal cruelty was associated with a victim presenting to seek help for IPV earlier in the relationship (AOR=0.25). The resiliency of a victim was also associated with help-seeking behavior earlier in the violent relationship (AOR=0.51). Conversely, having children was found to be a factor in prolonging the length of time in a violent relationship regardless of co-victimization (AOR=5.54). There were several opportunities for intervention in relationships with IPV. Interaction with law enforcement and the healthcare system were common. Third, an ecological study using geolocated police incident data from 2017-2022 and public health survey data tested the relationship between risk for co-victimization and mental health (i.e., depression, poor mental health). There were focused areas at greater risk of co-victimization seen in Southern Dallas. On average, household risk of co-victimization was 6% greater (RR=1.06) for areas experiencing domestic violence. Depression was significantly related to other neighborhood characteristics, like deprivation (β=0.24), community crime rate (β=-0.11), age (β=-0.31), and race of residents (β=0.13). Similarly, poor mental health was significantly related to deprivation (β=0.72), age (β=-0.16), and race of residents (β=0.11).

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