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Review
. 2022 Apr 10;12(8):977.
doi: 10.3390/ani12080977.

Animal Abuse as an Indicator of Domestic Violence: One Health, One Welfare Approach

Daniel Mota-Rojas  1 , Stefany Monsalve  2   3 , Karina Lezama-García  1 , Patricia Mora-Medina  4 , Adriana Domínguez-Oliva  1 , Ramiro Ramírez-Necoechea  1 , Rita de Cassia Maria Garcia  5
Affiliations
Review

Animal Abuse as an Indicator of Domestic Violence: One Health, One Welfare Approach

Daniel Mota-Rojas et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

For years now, the importance of animal cruelty has been gaining recognition in the industrialized cities of the West. Animal cruelty encompasses any act that causes a non-human animal unnecessary pain or suffering, including negligence, abandonment, abuse, torture, bestiality, and even theriocide. This represents a red flag for society as a whole because people who commit such acts can escalate violence and direct it to other individuals. Animal cruelty and interpersonal violence-as well as other socially undesirable conduct such as bullying, antisocial personality disorder, rape, and serial murder-are closely related, so timely diagnoses of either one can help prevent acts of aggression. It is necessary, therefore, to analyze and try to understand whether there are early indicators that may help identify potentially violent individuals. It is well known that kids from homes with actual violence in their homes show a high tendency to reproduce such behaviors with both animals and other people. In conclusion, much research and rethinking of the importance of the veterinarian in detecting animal abuse and cruelty is needed to help detect and prevent cases of interpersonal violence that may arise over time.

Keywords: animal cruelty; animal welfare; one welfare; the link; veterinary social work; violence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Search methodology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association among lack of empathy, habituation to domestic violence, and animal cruelty. aCC: anterior cingulate cortex; AMYG: amygdala; AVP: vasopressin; dlPFC: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; GLU: glutamate; IFG: inferior frontal gyrus; In: insula; mPFC: medial prefrontal cortex; NT: neurotransmitter; OXT: oxytocin; P4: progesterone; PRL: prolactin; STR: striatum; TPJ: temporoparietal junction; vmPFC: ventromedial prefrontal cortex; VTA: ventral tegmental area.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The origin of childhood animal abuse and the development of interpersonal aggression. aCC: anterior cingulate cortex; Ach: acetylcholine; AMYG: amygdala; Hyp: hypothalamus; mPFC: medial prefrontal cortex; NE: norepinephrine; PAG: periaqueductal gray; STR: striatum; THAL: thalamus.
Figure 4
Figure 4
McDonald triad consists of bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis), pyromania, and animal abuse. ADH: antidiuretic hormone: GMC: gray matter concentration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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