Pub Date : 2023-11-13DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2268980
Alexia Zalaf
ABSTRACTThis study examined the relationships between animal abuse proclivity, everyday sadism, and attitudes toward animals in Cyprus. Past research found relationships between animal abuse proclivity and attitudes toward animals, and animal abuse proclivity and sadism, but much of this research is still in its early stages. There is currently no research incorporating these three constructs into one analysis. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to further explore these relationships and determine links between constructs that had not been previously studied together. For the study, 263 people were recruited from the general population of Cyprus. Participants were requested to provide demographic details and fill in the Animal Abuse Proclivity Scale, the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, and the Attitudes Toward the Treatment of Animals Scale. Data were collected online with Greek and English versions of the questionnaires being made available. The data were subsequently merged, and path analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships. Animal abuse proclivity, specifically the Thrill subscale, was predicted by greater everyday sadism, less positive attitudes toward animals, and being female. The animal abuse proclivity Power subscale was predicted by less positive attitudes toward animals. More positive attitudes toward animals were predicted by being female and older, but attitudes toward animals were not predicted by either of the two key constructs. Finally, greater everyday sadism was predicted by less positive attitudes toward animals, younger age, and being male. Demographic differences were also identified in the analysis. The discussion highlights the significance of supporting the findings of previous studies and tentatively identifies new relationships worthy of future examination.KEYWORDS: Animal abuse proclivityattitudes toward animalsCypruseveryday sadismexploratory researchhuman–animal interaction Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
{"title":"Exploring Animal Abuse Proclivity, Everyday Sadism, and Attitudes Toward Animals in Cyprus","authors":"Alexia Zalaf","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2268980","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2268980","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTThis study examined the relationships between animal abuse proclivity, everyday sadism, and attitudes toward animals in Cyprus. Past research found relationships between animal abuse proclivity and attitudes toward animals, and animal abuse proclivity and sadism, but much of this research is still in its early stages. There is currently no research incorporating these three constructs into one analysis. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to further explore these relationships and determine links between constructs that had not been previously studied together. For the study, 263 people were recruited from the general population of Cyprus. Participants were requested to provide demographic details and fill in the Animal Abuse Proclivity Scale, the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, and the Attitudes Toward the Treatment of Animals Scale. Data were collected online with Greek and English versions of the questionnaires being made available. The data were subsequently merged, and path analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships. Animal abuse proclivity, specifically the Thrill subscale, was predicted by greater everyday sadism, less positive attitudes toward animals, and being female. The animal abuse proclivity Power subscale was predicted by less positive attitudes toward animals. More positive attitudes toward animals were predicted by being female and older, but attitudes toward animals were not predicted by either of the two key constructs. Finally, greater everyday sadism was predicted by less positive attitudes toward animals, younger age, and being male. Demographic differences were also identified in the analysis. The discussion highlights the significance of supporting the findings of previous studies and tentatively identifies new relationships worthy of future examination.KEYWORDS: Animal abuse proclivityattitudes toward animalsCypruseveryday sadismexploratory researchhuman–animal interaction Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136348213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-13DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2266925
Helen Kabboush, István Fodor, László Ózsvári, Szilvia Vetter
ABSTRACTThe attitudes of veterinarians to the euthanasia of companion animals were investigated using an online questionnaire in Hungary (n = 93), Sweden (n = 145), and Jordan (n = 40). The questions concerned the number of euthanasia performed and the reasons for and circumstances surrounding them, the veterinarians’ opinions on four clinical cases, and the mental burden associated with euthanasia (using a 7-point Likert scale). The monthly number of euthanasia performed by the veterinarians was significantly related to the country (highest in Sweden), but no differences were found by age group (≤ 34 years, 35–54 years, ≥ 55 years) or gender. Untreatable conditions were the most common reason for euthanasia in all countries, but old age was also an important factor in Sweden. Swedish respondents were the most likely, and Jordanians the least likely, to fulfill euthanasia requests about aggressive, but otherwise healthy, animals. The reported mental burden of euthanasia was lowest in Sweden and highest in Jordan, and male veterinarians reported a lower burden than female veterinarians. The attachment of owners to their animals was not associated with the ethical burden of euthanasia experienced by the respondents. Veterinarians who performed more euthanasia per month reported a lower ethical burden. Most respondents considered what they had learned about the topic during their university education to be insufficient. According to our model, veterinarians’ attitudes toward euthanasia are associated with a combination of personal (gender, age, training background) and social (cultural, religious background) factors. Further research on this topic is important, not only for animal welfare rules and practices but also for the protection of veterinarians’ mental health.KEYWORDS: Attitudescross-culturalethicseuthanasiahuman–animal interactionveterinarian Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe Project was supported by the European Union and co-financed by the European Social Fund: EFOP-3.6.3-VEKOP-16-2017-00005 “Strengthening the scientific replacement by supporting the academic workshops and programs of students, developing a mentoring process.”
{"title":"A Cross-Cultural Study of Veterinarians’ Attitudes to the Euthanasia of Companion Animals","authors":"Helen Kabboush, István Fodor, László Ózsvári, Szilvia Vetter","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2266925","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2266925","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTThe attitudes of veterinarians to the euthanasia of companion animals were investigated using an online questionnaire in Hungary (n = 93), Sweden (n = 145), and Jordan (n = 40). The questions concerned the number of euthanasia performed and the reasons for and circumstances surrounding them, the veterinarians’ opinions on four clinical cases, and the mental burden associated with euthanasia (using a 7-point Likert scale). The monthly number of euthanasia performed by the veterinarians was significantly related to the country (highest in Sweden), but no differences were found by age group (≤ 34 years, 35–54 years, ≥ 55 years) or gender. Untreatable conditions were the most common reason for euthanasia in all countries, but old age was also an important factor in Sweden. Swedish respondents were the most likely, and Jordanians the least likely, to fulfill euthanasia requests about aggressive, but otherwise healthy, animals. The reported mental burden of euthanasia was lowest in Sweden and highest in Jordan, and male veterinarians reported a lower burden than female veterinarians. The attachment of owners to their animals was not associated with the ethical burden of euthanasia experienced by the respondents. Veterinarians who performed more euthanasia per month reported a lower ethical burden. Most respondents considered what they had learned about the topic during their university education to be insufficient. According to our model, veterinarians’ attitudes toward euthanasia are associated with a combination of personal (gender, age, training background) and social (cultural, religious background) factors. Further research on this topic is important, not only for animal welfare rules and practices but also for the protection of veterinarians’ mental health.KEYWORDS: Attitudescross-culturalethicseuthanasiahuman–animal interactionveterinarian Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe Project was supported by the European Union and co-financed by the European Social Fund: EFOP-3.6.3-VEKOP-16-2017-00005 “Strengthening the scientific replacement by supporting the academic workshops and programs of students, developing a mentoring process.”","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136347414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-13DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2268978
Unaiza Iqbal, Joanne M. Williams, Monja A. Knoll
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a canine welfare education intervention, “Mr T’s Tickles Workshop,” for improving 8- to 9-year-old children’s canine emotion recognition, their belief about canine sentience, their knowledge of canine welfare needs, their attitudes toward cruelty to canines, and their attachment to pets. “Mr T’s Tickles Workshop” was a one-off intervention comprising a 1.5-hour workshop of welfare activities delivered to whole classrooms online. The workshop consisted of three activities: (1) a canine emotion recognition task, (2) creating a “box of comfort” of care equipment for older dogs, and (3) creating a memory jar of positive memories for children. A 2 × 2 mixed factorial design was used for the quantitative evaluation of this study. Factor one was the phase of testing (time), a repeated-measure variable (pre-test versus post-test), and factor two was the between-subject variable conditions (intervention versus control group). A sample of 120 children aged 8–9 years from five primary school classes (4 intervention classes and 1 control class) from one school participated in the study. The results showed that children in the intervention group improved significantly more than the children in the control group in terms of children’s canine emotion recognition from pre-test to post-test. There was no change in attitudes that intentional cruelty is acceptable in the intervention group; these attitudes worsened in the control group. Finally, the qualitative content analysis of children’s responses showed that feedback on the intervention was highly positive. The findings indicate that age-appropriate canine welfare education can effectively enhance children’s canine emotion recognition and attitudes toward intentional cruelty.
{"title":"An Evaluation of a Canine Welfare Education Intervention for Primary School Children","authors":"Unaiza Iqbal, Joanne M. Williams, Monja A. Knoll","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2268978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2268978","url":null,"abstract":"This study evaluated the effectiveness of a canine welfare education intervention, “Mr T’s Tickles Workshop,” for improving 8- to 9-year-old children’s canine emotion recognition, their belief about canine sentience, their knowledge of canine welfare needs, their attitudes toward cruelty to canines, and their attachment to pets. “Mr T’s Tickles Workshop” was a one-off intervention comprising a 1.5-hour workshop of welfare activities delivered to whole classrooms online. The workshop consisted of three activities: (1) a canine emotion recognition task, (2) creating a “box of comfort” of care equipment for older dogs, and (3) creating a memory jar of positive memories for children. A 2 × 2 mixed factorial design was used for the quantitative evaluation of this study. Factor one was the phase of testing (time), a repeated-measure variable (pre-test versus post-test), and factor two was the between-subject variable conditions (intervention versus control group). A sample of 120 children aged 8–9 years from five primary school classes (4 intervention classes and 1 control class) from one school participated in the study. The results showed that children in the intervention group improved significantly more than the children in the control group in terms of children’s canine emotion recognition from pre-test to post-test. There was no change in attitudes that intentional cruelty is acceptable in the intervention group; these attitudes worsened in the control group. Finally, the qualitative content analysis of children’s responses showed that feedback on the intervention was highly positive. The findings indicate that age-appropriate canine welfare education can effectively enhance children’s canine emotion recognition and attitudes toward intentional cruelty.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136348061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-09DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2266923
Jenna Aarnio, Elisa Aaltola
We examined how four hunting organizations in Finland and in the UK (The Finnish Wildlife Agency, Finnish Hunters’ Association, The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and Countryside Alliance) describe wild animals on their web pages and what the moral implications of these descriptions are. How do these hunting organizations define animals, and how does this impact the moral regard given to these animals? Using discourse analysis together with philosophical analysis, our examination revealed that the descriptions focus mainly on physical attributes, leaving out the minds of animals. Therefore, hunting organizations take part in dementalization (underestimation or denial of minds) of nonhuman animals, which interlinks with mechanomorphism (the depiction of animals as biological machines). We argue that dementalization and mechanomorphism in the descriptions serve a strategic purpose, as they hinder the possibility of recognizing animal experiences and individuality and keep animal ethical questions out of view. Further, the organizations tend to approach the ethics of hunting through the perspective of human interests only, whilst the interests and inherent value of animals are sidelined. In sum, the way in which hunting organizations depict animals is prone to sidelining ethical issues concerning the killing of animals.
{"title":"“Has an Ugly Caw”: The Moral Implications of How Hunting Organizations Depict Nonhuman Animals","authors":"Jenna Aarnio, Elisa Aaltola","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2266923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2266923","url":null,"abstract":"We examined how four hunting organizations in Finland and in the UK (The Finnish Wildlife Agency, Finnish Hunters’ Association, The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and Countryside Alliance) describe wild animals on their web pages and what the moral implications of these descriptions are. How do these hunting organizations define animals, and how does this impact the moral regard given to these animals? Using discourse analysis together with philosophical analysis, our examination revealed that the descriptions focus mainly on physical attributes, leaving out the minds of animals. Therefore, hunting organizations take part in dementalization (underestimation or denial of minds) of nonhuman animals, which interlinks with mechanomorphism (the depiction of animals as biological machines). We argue that dementalization and mechanomorphism in the descriptions serve a strategic purpose, as they hinder the possibility of recognizing animal experiences and individuality and keep animal ethical questions out of view. Further, the organizations tend to approach the ethics of hunting through the perspective of human interests only, whilst the interests and inherent value of animals are sidelined. In sum, the way in which hunting organizations depict animals is prone to sidelining ethical issues concerning the killing of animals.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135242542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-27DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2268979
Leanne O. Nieforth, Sarah C. Leighton, A. J. Schwichtenberg, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Marguerite E. O’Haire
ABSTRACTPartners of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at risk of a variety of challenges, and it is unknown whether psychiatric service dogs are disruptive to their sleep or provide similar benefits that are seen in the limited literature on veterans. As part of a larger clinical trial examining the efficacy of psychiatric service dogs for veterans with PTSD and their families, this study focused on sleep patterns of veterans’ partners (n = 88), incorporating both subjective (clinically validated self-report surveys) and objective sleep measures (actigraphy). Linear regression was used to analyze differences in relation to group (intervention versus control) at follow-up, controlling for baseline score. Results revealed no significant differences between groups for both the subjective surveys (p = 0.15; p = 0.75) and the objective actigraphy measures (p = 0.06–0.98). This suggests that psychiatric service dogs are not disruptive, nor do they provide any benefits to partner sleep. Partners had sleep patterns on par with national norms at baseline and remained at such levels at follow up. Ultimately, using both subjective and objective measures, we found no impact of psychiatric service dogs on the sleep of veterans’ partners.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03245814.KEYWORDS: Animal-assisted interventionassistance doghuman–animal interactionmilitary families AcknowledgementsThank you to all the partners, veterans, and service dogs who made this study possible.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number R21HD091896; and Merrick PetCare. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
{"title":"A Preliminary Analysis of Psychiatric Service Dog Placements and Sleep Patterns of Partners of Veterans with PTSD","authors":"Leanne O. Nieforth, Sarah C. Leighton, A. J. Schwichtenberg, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Marguerite E. O’Haire","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2268979","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2268979","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTPartners of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at risk of a variety of challenges, and it is unknown whether psychiatric service dogs are disruptive to their sleep or provide similar benefits that are seen in the limited literature on veterans. As part of a larger clinical trial examining the efficacy of psychiatric service dogs for veterans with PTSD and their families, this study focused on sleep patterns of veterans’ partners (n = 88), incorporating both subjective (clinically validated self-report surveys) and objective sleep measures (actigraphy). Linear regression was used to analyze differences in relation to group (intervention versus control) at follow-up, controlling for baseline score. Results revealed no significant differences between groups for both the subjective surveys (p = 0.15; p = 0.75) and the objective actigraphy measures (p = 0.06–0.98). This suggests that psychiatric service dogs are not disruptive, nor do they provide any benefits to partner sleep. Partners had sleep patterns on par with national norms at baseline and remained at such levels at follow up. Ultimately, using both subjective and objective measures, we found no impact of psychiatric service dogs on the sleep of veterans’ partners.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03245814.KEYWORDS: Animal-assisted interventionassistance doghuman–animal interactionmilitary families AcknowledgementsThank you to all the partners, veterans, and service dogs who made this study possible.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number R21HD091896; and Merrick PetCare. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136262478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-23DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2266924
Xuan Gu, Ling Xie, Sarah M. Bexell
ABSTRACTThe current study aimed to investigate transference assumption – that encouraging pro-animal attitudes will increase empathy both with humans and other species. We used a cross-sectional survey method to examine the triadic relations among empathy with humans, empathy with animals, and pro-animal attitudes. To compare the research conducted in primarily Western contexts, a sample of 669 Chinese adults completed the Animal Attitude Scale, Basic Empathy Scale, and Animal Empathy Scale. They also reported their sociodemographic data and the frequency and quality of their contact with companion animals. Results showed that: (a) Females showed significantly more empathy with humans and other animals and held more positive attitudes toward animals than males; (b) Higher frequency and quality of contact with companion animals significantly predicted more empathy with both humans and other animals and more positive attitudes toward animals; (c) Older participants showed more empathy with humans than younger participants, but younger participants showed more empathy with animals than older participants; (d) empathy with animals fully mediated the relationship between attitudes toward animals and empathy with humans. The findings extend previous work on cross-species associations of empathy and support the practices of fostering empathy and pro-social behavior through animal-related humane-education interventions.KEYWORDS: AnimalsattitudesChinaempathyhuman–animal interactionhumane education AcknowledgementsWe thank Cecilia Qian for her comments on an early draft of the manuscript.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
{"title":"The Link Between Attitudes Toward Animals and Empathy With Humans in China: Mediation of Empathy With Animals","authors":"Xuan Gu, Ling Xie, Sarah M. Bexell","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2266924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2266924","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTThe current study aimed to investigate transference assumption – that encouraging pro-animal attitudes will increase empathy both with humans and other species. We used a cross-sectional survey method to examine the triadic relations among empathy with humans, empathy with animals, and pro-animal attitudes. To compare the research conducted in primarily Western contexts, a sample of 669 Chinese adults completed the Animal Attitude Scale, Basic Empathy Scale, and Animal Empathy Scale. They also reported their sociodemographic data and the frequency and quality of their contact with companion animals. Results showed that: (a) Females showed significantly more empathy with humans and other animals and held more positive attitudes toward animals than males; (b) Higher frequency and quality of contact with companion animals significantly predicted more empathy with both humans and other animals and more positive attitudes toward animals; (c) Older participants showed more empathy with humans than younger participants, but younger participants showed more empathy with animals than older participants; (d) empathy with animals fully mediated the relationship between attitudes toward animals and empathy with humans. The findings extend previous work on cross-species associations of empathy and support the practices of fostering empathy and pro-social behavior through animal-related humane-education interventions.KEYWORDS: AnimalsattitudesChinaempathyhuman–animal interactionhumane education AcknowledgementsWe thank Cecilia Qian for her comments on an early draft of the manuscript.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135412138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-18DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2261281
Alexa M. Carr, Patricia Pendry
ABSTRACTAnxiety and stress among incoming university students are associated with higher rates of mental health disorders and decreased academic success. One approach universities employ to prevent these problems is the implementation of Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). While efficacy trials suggest positive effects, little is known about students’ program uptake (e.g., attendance frequency and duration) or students’ characteristics (e.g., current mood and past mental health, pet ownership, and pet separation anxiety) that shape program uptake. This study identified student characteristics that predicted AVP uptake in a subsample (n = 209) of randomly selected first-year university students (n = 2,000) who were screened for pet ownership and randomly assigned to attend a semester-long drop-in AVP program (i.e., seven 2-hour sessions) (n = 105) with registered therapy dogs or a waitlist control group (n = 104). Using logistic and multiple regression modeling, participants’ mental health history, current mood, and relationship with their childhood pet were modeled on students’ attendance frequency and duration. Students’ early session uptake was negatively associated with mental health history (Bfrequency = –0.876, p = 0.03, OR = 0.417) and perceived stress (Bfrequency = –0.177, p = 0.04, OR = 0.838; βduration = –0.433, p = 0.02, d = 0.61) and positively associated with current anxiety (Bfrequency = 0.179, p = 0.01, OR = 1.196; βduration = 0.513, p = 0.01, d = 0.66). Overall attendance was negatively associated with levels of pet separation anxiety (βfrequency = –0.342, p = 0.004, d = 0.70; βduration = –0.286, p = 0.03, d = 0.53) and identifying as male (βfrequency = –0.308, p = 0.003, d = 0.72; βduration = –0.321, p = 0.004, d = 0.68) and was positively associated with early uptake (βfrequency = 0.627, p < 0.001, d = 1.40; βduration = 0.532, p < 0.001, d = 1.08). Findings suggest that program attendance may be enhanced by prioritizing access to students experiencing anxiety upon arrival to campus, rather than students experiencing stress, pet separation anxiety, or those reporting a history of mental health problems. Administrators should strongly promote attendance to the first session as this is significantly associated with greater program uptake.KEYWORDS: Animal-assisted activityfirst-year studenthigher educationhuman–animal interactionpet partnersprogram attendance AcknowledgementsThe authors acknowledge Palouse Paws, the local Pet Partners Organization, for their human and canine volunteers who participated in each student visitation session. The authors also thank all the PAWs4US Study volunteers, undergraduate research assistants, and participants, without whom this study would not have been possible.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
大学新生的焦虑和压力与心理健康障碍的高发率和学业成绩的下降有关。大学采用的一种预防这些问题的方法是实施动物探访计划(avp)。虽然功效试验显示了积极的效果，但对学生的课程吸收(例如，出勤频率和持续时间)或学生的特征(例如，当前情绪和过去的心理健康，宠物所有权和宠物分离焦虑)影响课程吸收的情况知之甚少。本研究确定了预测AVP吸收的学生特征，这些特征是随机选择的一年级大学生(n = 2000)的子样本(n = 209)，他们被筛选是否拥有宠物，并被随机分配参加一个长达一个学期的AVP计划(即7个2小时的课程)(n = 105)，与注册治疗犬或候补对照组(n = 104)。采用logistic和多元回归模型，将被试的心理健康史、当前情绪和与童年宠物的关系以学生的出勤频率和持续时间为模型。学生早期服药与心理健康史(Bfrequency = -0.876, p = 0.03, OR = 0.417)和感知压力(Bfrequency = -0.177, p = 0.04, OR = 0.838;β持续时间= -0.433,p = 0.02, d = 0.61)，与当前焦虑呈正相关(Bfrequency = 0.179, p = 0.01, OR = 1.196;β持续时间= 0.513,p = 0.01, d = 0.66)。总体出勤率与宠物分离焦虑水平呈负相关(β频率= -0.342,p = 0.004, d = 0.70;β持续时间= -0.286,p = 0.03, d = 0.53)，识别为男性(β频率= -0.308,p = 0.003, d = 0.72;β持续时间= -0.321,p = 0.004, d = 0.68)，与早期摄取呈正相关(β频率= 0.627,p < 0.001, d = 1.40;β持续时间= 0.532,p < 0.001, d = 1.08)。研究结果表明，通过优先接触那些刚到校园就经历焦虑的学生，而不是那些经历压力、宠物分离焦虑或有精神健康病史的学生，项目的出勤率可能会提高。管理员应该大力提倡出席第一次会议，因为这与更大的计划吸收有很大关系。关键词:动物辅助活动;一年级学生;高等教育;人与动物互动;宠物伙伴;项目出席致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢致谢作者还感谢所有的PAWs4US研究志愿者、本科生研究助理和参与者，没有他们，本研究就不可能完成。披露声明作者未报告潜在利益冲突。
{"title":"Assessing Attendance Frequency and Duration at a Drop-In Animal Visitation Program Among First-Semester University Students Separated From Their Pets","authors":"Alexa M. Carr, Patricia Pendry","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2261281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2261281","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTAnxiety and stress among incoming university students are associated with higher rates of mental health disorders and decreased academic success. One approach universities employ to prevent these problems is the implementation of Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). While efficacy trials suggest positive effects, little is known about students’ program uptake (e.g., attendance frequency and duration) or students’ characteristics (e.g., current mood and past mental health, pet ownership, and pet separation anxiety) that shape program uptake. This study identified student characteristics that predicted AVP uptake in a subsample (n = 209) of randomly selected first-year university students (n = 2,000) who were screened for pet ownership and randomly assigned to attend a semester-long drop-in AVP program (i.e., seven 2-hour sessions) (n = 105) with registered therapy dogs or a waitlist control group (n = 104). Using logistic and multiple regression modeling, participants’ mental health history, current mood, and relationship with their childhood pet were modeled on students’ attendance frequency and duration. Students’ early session uptake was negatively associated with mental health history (Bfrequency = –0.876, p = 0.03, OR = 0.417) and perceived stress (Bfrequency = –0.177, p = 0.04, OR = 0.838; βduration = –0.433, p = 0.02, d = 0.61) and positively associated with current anxiety (Bfrequency = 0.179, p = 0.01, OR = 1.196; βduration = 0.513, p = 0.01, d = 0.66). Overall attendance was negatively associated with levels of pet separation anxiety (βfrequency = –0.342, p = 0.004, d = 0.70; βduration = –0.286, p = 0.03, d = 0.53) and identifying as male (βfrequency = –0.308, p = 0.003, d = 0.72; βduration = –0.321, p = 0.004, d = 0.68) and was positively associated with early uptake (βfrequency = 0.627, p < 0.001, d = 1.40; βduration = 0.532, p < 0.001, d = 1.08). Findings suggest that program attendance may be enhanced by prioritizing access to students experiencing anxiety upon arrival to campus, rather than students experiencing stress, pet separation anxiety, or those reporting a history of mental health problems. Administrators should strongly promote attendance to the first session as this is significantly associated with greater program uptake.KEYWORDS: Animal-assisted activityfirst-year studenthigher educationhuman–animal interactionpet partnersprogram attendance AcknowledgementsThe authors acknowledge Palouse Paws, the local Pet Partners Organization, for their human and canine volunteers who participated in each student visitation session. The authors also thank all the PAWs4US Study volunteers, undergraduate research assistants, and participants, without whom this study would not have been possible.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135883734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-05DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2248762
Cara Clancy, Emma McClaughlin, Fiona Cooke
Established representations of donkeys in western literature and popular culture have often been negative, portraying the animals as stupid, inept, and bad tempered. To understand whether such representations are reflected in contemporary understandings of donkeys, we constructed a digitized body of texts (a corpus) from contemporary (public-facing) news articles and (public-produced) social media posts about donkeys, which we analyzed using quantitative and qualitative language analysis techniques drawn from corpus linguistics and discourse analysis. We supplemented this with focus groups conducted with members of the public to gather insights and reflections on key patterns of representation in two key news texts identified in the linguistic analysis. This combined approach, which is novel in its application to animal welfare topics, revealed that donkeys are most commonly represented as figures of entertainment, ridicule, and as victims of hardship and suffering (i.e., animals in need). We argue that such representations can sideline, obscure and “invisibilize” the real animals, leading to persistent misunderstandings and false conceptions about donkeys, which are further perpetuated through language use and can be difficult to disrupt and change. These findings have important implications for animal welfare, education programs, and public communication about donkeys. Finally, we highlight areas where incorrect, unhelpful, and potentially damaging representations can be challenged by those seeking to improve the contemporary status of donkeys.
{"title":"Invisible Animals: Exploring Public Discourses to Understand the Contemporary Status of Donkeys in Britain","authors":"Cara Clancy, Emma McClaughlin, Fiona Cooke","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2248762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2248762","url":null,"abstract":"Established representations of donkeys in western literature and popular culture have often been negative, portraying the animals as stupid, inept, and bad tempered. To understand whether such representations are reflected in contemporary understandings of donkeys, we constructed a digitized body of texts (a corpus) from contemporary (public-facing) news articles and (public-produced) social media posts about donkeys, which we analyzed using quantitative and qualitative language analysis techniques drawn from corpus linguistics and discourse analysis. We supplemented this with focus groups conducted with members of the public to gather insights and reflections on key patterns of representation in two key news texts identified in the linguistic analysis. This combined approach, which is novel in its application to animal welfare topics, revealed that donkeys are most commonly represented as figures of entertainment, ridicule, and as victims of hardship and suffering (i.e., animals in need). We argue that such representations can sideline, obscure and “invisibilize” the real animals, leading to persistent misunderstandings and false conceptions about donkeys, which are further perpetuated through language use and can be difficult to disrupt and change. These findings have important implications for animal welfare, education programs, and public communication about donkeys. Finally, we highlight areas where incorrect, unhelpful, and potentially damaging representations can be challenged by those seeking to improve the contemporary status of donkeys.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135435580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-04DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2261280
Eliza Cammarano, Em Bould, Aislinn Lalor, Libby Callaway
Affinity with dogs has been defined as the degree to which people value interactions with dogs; it may be influenced by individual preferences, experiences with animals, and characteristics of the dog. To date, however, there has been limited investigation regarding factors that influence dog affinity for people with autism. An anonymous online survey was used in this study; it included demographic questions; exploration of experiences with animals; attitudes, preferences, likes, and dislikes of dogs; and the perceived impact of dogs on the person with autism’s social and community participation. The survey was distributed via social media channels, assistance dog organizations, and a disability provider to people living in Australia (n = 131) who were (1) an adult with a diagnosis of autism or (2) a next-of-kin of a person of any age with autism (completing the survey on behalf of their family member). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis. There were no significant differences in levels of affinity between children and adults with autism. However, findings indicated significant differences in levels of affinity between participants with and without a dog. Text entry responses to questions provided additional insights into participants’ attitudes and sensory preferences toward dogs, suggesting that affinity with dogs can be influenced by personal, disability-related, environmental, and animal-related factors. An awareness and consideration of these factors is essential for individuals with autism, their families, and service providers – including animal-assisted therapy or assistance animal organizations – when considering individual participation goals and determining if animal supports are the most appropriate option. Without an awareness and understanding of these factors, this could limit the effectiveness of the human–animal interaction.
{"title":"A Survey of Factors That Influence Affinity With Dogs for People With Autism","authors":"Eliza Cammarano, Em Bould, Aislinn Lalor, Libby Callaway","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2261280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2261280","url":null,"abstract":"Affinity with dogs has been defined as the degree to which people value interactions with dogs; it may be influenced by individual preferences, experiences with animals, and characteristics of the dog. To date, however, there has been limited investigation regarding factors that influence dog affinity for people with autism. An anonymous online survey was used in this study; it included demographic questions; exploration of experiences with animals; attitudes, preferences, likes, and dislikes of dogs; and the perceived impact of dogs on the person with autism’s social and community participation. The survey was distributed via social media channels, assistance dog organizations, and a disability provider to people living in Australia (n = 131) who were (1) an adult with a diagnosis of autism or (2) a next-of-kin of a person of any age with autism (completing the survey on behalf of their family member). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis. There were no significant differences in levels of affinity between children and adults with autism. However, findings indicated significant differences in levels of affinity between participants with and without a dog. Text entry responses to questions provided additional insights into participants’ attitudes and sensory preferences toward dogs, suggesting that affinity with dogs can be influenced by personal, disability-related, environmental, and animal-related factors. An awareness and consideration of these factors is essential for individuals with autism, their families, and service providers – including animal-assisted therapy or assistance animal organizations – when considering individual participation goals and determining if animal supports are the most appropriate option. Without an awareness and understanding of these factors, this could limit the effectiveness of the human–animal interaction.","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135592595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-04DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2261279
Harold Herzog
{"title":"The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved From the Savanna to Your Sofa <b>The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved From the Savanna to Your Sofa</b> , by Johnathan B. Losos, Viking Press, 2023, 390 pp., ISBN 978-1984878106 (hardback)","authors":"Harold Herzog","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2023.2261279","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2261279","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135592585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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