Making the Link Study (Eastern Europe)

The "Making The Link" Study

The jury is no longer out on the question about animal abuse being connected to abuse against persons. A vast body of research now exists. These findings have supported the introduction of ‘LINK‘ groups where professionals address incidents of serious animal abuse as being deemed indicative of ‘at risk‘ individuals and families and interventions are introduced. Those who are cruel to animals are more likely to engage in a range of abusive behaviours including adult violence, elder abuse, child abuse etc... Numerous examples are identified where murderers exhibited a history of severe animal abuse. Mullen P. (1996); PETA (2003); Neustatter, A (1998); Ascione, FR (1999); Lockwood R & Hodge, GH (1998); Wright, J & Hensley, C (2003).

It would appear essential then for a society to identify causes and seek to intervene in the abuse patterns which are created and practised. Almost all previous research has been conducted in regions where animal abuse is the exception, involves attachment and familiarity with abused animal and/or perpetrator, animal welfare laws exist and are enforced and animal control programs have been successfully introduced - Ascione, (1998); Flynn, (2000); DeViney, Dickert & Lockwood (1983).

In a number of countries in Eastern Europe these criteria are not satisfied. In some EU-member countries such as Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, and the other eastern European countries, such as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia, lack of any humane animal control policy has resulted in many hundreds of thousands of stray animals living on the streets. Animal protection laws exist but are rarely enforced. What are the implications of endemic abuse being experienced regularly on the streets of these countries? What impact on psychological health? What are the societal ramifications introduced by the numerical preponderance of homeless animals providing availability of thousands of potential abuse victims?

The ‘Making the Link‘ study was initiated by Teesside University (UK) to explore the connection between exposure to endemic abuse in social environments where no previous research had been conducted. Given that exposure to abuse can produce a progressive desensitization process with attendant reduction in empathy - Beetz, AM (2009), four psychometric measures were introduced. Two seeking to evaluate empathy factors - Basic Empathy Scale (20 items); Jolliffe, D and Farrington, DP (2006) and Empathy Assessment Index (23 items); Gerdes, K. E., Lietz, C. & Segal, E. A. (2011); Achenbach Youth Self Report (114 items); Achenbach, T. M. (1991); to explore a range of psychological factors and a modified version of CTSARE (14 items) Boat, B.W. (2002) providing a self-response questionnaire. The YSR was modified to include two additional questions about exposure to abuse and perpetration of abuse. These were presented to children aged 14-16 in Bistrita, Romania and a control group in Berlin, Germany.