Photo Credit: Jakob Cotton / Unsplash
For the third installment of our series on the links between mental health and animals, we’re taking a look at the negative side. We’ve looked at some of the positive effects animals have on mental health, but the link between animal abuse and mental health is often overlooked. In today’s blog post we’re focusing on the human psychology associated with animal abuse.
People who work in slaughterhouses are obligated to witness the abuse and killing of animals on a regular basis. This can take a toll on these workers’ mental health, forcing them to take time off from work to cope with the demands of the job. Many workers take time off from work or call in sick only in extreme cases as many of them need the pay to provide for themselves and their families, causing many of them to overlook their mental health to avoid missing work. Research suggests that slaughterhouse workers with a role involved in the slaughtering process itself were found to have higher rates of mental health problems.
A study published in 2013 found that these workers had a significantly higher rate of depression and anxiety in relation to others working in the slaughterhouse. Another study found that roles where one must handle the carcasses were associated with the highest levels of aggression, followed by roles on the kill floor, and lastly any other role within the slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouse workers also had higher levels of psychoticism, aggression, hostility, and psychical symptoms resulting from mental distress when compared with butchers and office workers. Psychological disorders brought on by repeated witnessing of animal abuse, most notably PTSD, can spill over into one’s everyday life. Slaughterhouse workers have to endure hazardous conditions and work long and grueling hours with little pay, causing a lot of stress. On top of the stress that comes with the job, the workers have to spend their days continuously killing animals and/or handling their carcasses. Those who work in slaughterhouses do so because they have little to no other options available to them, forcing them to have to subject themselves to these horrid conditions and responsibilities every day.
A study done in 2016 examined the work spillover finding that slaughterhouse employment was associated with a significant increase in total arrests and arrests for sexual offending across all time periods. Participants of this study described the consequences of this spillover which included social detachment due to exhaustion, and even the perpetration of domestic violence.
The abuse and mistreatment of animals is a significant indicator of future violence towards humans. Animal cruelty is argued to be seen as one of the earliest markers for future acts of criminal behavior. These links have been studied and documented for decades, the FBI stated that animal abuse is highly correlated with interpersonal human violence. Often, those who commit child abuse and domestic violence also frequently harm household pets or have a history of abusing animals.
Animal abuse is highly correlated with interpersonal violence and crime, so treating those who abuse animals from a young age can be crucial in lowering violence towards humans and animals later. Making one’s mental health a priority and deconstructing the misconceptions and stigma surrounding mental health will allow those in similar situations as those who work in slaughterhouses to cope in healthy ways.
Email us at info@onenatureinstitute.org and tell us a story about how wildlife affected you positively to be featured in our next blog post!
Sources:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15248380211030243
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0909
https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/first-they-tortured-animals-then-they-turned-to-humans