Do you want to stay informed about this journal? Click the buttons to subscribe to our alerts.
Exploring the Relationship between Socio-Demographic Background and Empathy toward Nonhuman Animals in Working Horse Caretakers
In: Society & AnimalsAbstract
Recognizing pain in nonhuman animals and empathy toward them is important for modulating human-animal relationships and animal welfare. Few studies have assessed pain recognition and empathic responses toward animals based on socio-demographic characteristics, and even fewer have examined them in socioeconomically marginalized individuals. To address this issue, four instruments were applied to 100 working horse caretakers. The socio-demographic and quality of life instruments were applied as interviews, and afterward two rating scales measuring empathy toward animals and the willingness to attribute pain to horses, in a diversity of painful conditions, were filled out. The results indicate that working horse caretakers have high levels of empathy and the willingness to attribute a high intensity of pain to equines in diverse situations that imply pain, but that neither socio-demographic status nor satisfaction with life quality were correlated with empathy toward animals or the willingness to attribute pain to horses.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Adimark. (2000). El Nivel Socioeconómico ESOMAR: Manual de Aplicación. [The ESOMAR Socioeconomic Level: Application Manual]. Santiago, Chile: Adimark. Retrieved from http://www.microweb.cl/idm/documentos/ESOMAR.pdf.
-
Adler, N. E., & Newman, K. (2002). Socioeconomic disparities in health: Pathways and policies. Health Affairs, 21(2), 60-76.
-
Adler, N. E., Boyce, T., Chesney, M. A., Cohen, S., Folkman, S., Kahn, R. L., & Syme, S. L. (1994). Socioeconomic status and health: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist, 49(1), 15-24.
-
Angantyr, M., Eklund, J., & Hansen, E. M. (2011). A comparison of empathy for humans and empathy for animals. Anthrozoös, 24(4), 369-377.
-
Apostol, L., Rebega, O. L., & Miclea, M. (2013). Psychological and socio-demographic predictors of attitudes toward animals. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 78, 521-525.
-
Ascione, F. R. (2005). Children, animals, and empathy—antidote for aggression and violence?. In F. R. Ascione (Ed.), Children and animals: Exploring the roots of kindness and cruelty (pp. 66-88). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
-
Böhnke, P. (2008). Are the poor socially integrated? The link between poverty and social support in different welfare regimes. Journal of European Social Policy, 18(2), 133-150.
-
Bradley, R. H., & Corwyn, R. F. (2002). Socioeconomic status and child development. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 371-399.
-
Burn, C. C., Dennison, T. L., & Whay, H. R. (2010). Relationships between behaviour and health in working horses, donkeys, and mules in developing countries. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 126(3), 109-118.
-
Calderón-Amor, J., Luna-Fernández, D., & Tadich, T. (2017). Study of the levels of human-human and human-animal empathy in veterinary medical students from Chile. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 44(1), 179-186.
-
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334.
-
Davis, M. H. (1980). A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. Journal of the Siena Academy of Science: Catalogue of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 85-104.
-
Deemer, D. R. (2009). Public attitudes toward farm animal well-being: The significance of religion and political affiliation (Unpublished Master’s thesis). The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Available at https://etd.ohiolink.edu/rws_etd/document/get/osu1253578015/inline.
-
Dohrenwend, B. S. (1973). Social status and stressful life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(2), 225-235.
-
Ellingsen, K., Zanella, A. J., Bjerkås, E., & Indrebø, A. (2010). The relationship between empathy, perception of pain and attitudes toward pets among Norwegian dog owners. Anthrozoös, 23(3), 231-243.
-
FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2011). The role, impact and welfare of working (traction and transport) animals. Final Report of the FAO/The Brooke Electronic Consultation, February 1-28. FAO, Rome. Retrieved from www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/animalwelfare/FAO-The%20Brooke%20working%20animals%20e-consultation%20report.pdf.
-
FAOSTAT. (2011). FAO statistical yearbook. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from http://faostat.fao.org/site/573/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=573.
-
Filippi, M., Riccitelli, G., Falini, A., Di Salle, F., Vuilleumier, P., Comi, G., & Rocca, M. A. (2010). The brain functional networks associated to human and animal suffering differ among omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. PloS One, 5(5), e10847.
-
Filmer, D., & Pritchett, L. H. (2001). Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data—or tears: An application to educational enrollments in states of India. Demography, 38(1), 115-132.
-
Goodwin, L. D., & Leech, N. L. (2006). Understanding correlation: Factors that affect the size of r. The Journal of Experimental Education, 74(3), 249-266.
-
Gwatkin, D. R., Rutstein, S., Johnson, K., Suliman, E., Wagstaff, A., & Amouzou, A. (2007). Socio-economic differences in health, nutrition, and population. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
-
Hameed, A., Tariq, M., & Yasin, M. A. (2016). Assessment of welfare of working donkeys and mules using health and behavior parameters. Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology, 2(5), 69-74.
-
Hanna, D., Sneddon, I. A., & Beattie, V. E. (2009). The relationship between the stockperson’s personality and attitudes and the productivity of dairy cows. Animal, 3(5), 737-743.
-
Hauser, R. M. (1994). Measuring socioeconomic status in studies of child development. Child Development, 65(6), 1541-1545.
-
Hills, A. M. (1993). The motivational bases of attitudes toward animals. Society & Animals, 1(2), 111-128.
-
Hirschfeld, R. M., & Cross, C. K. (1982). Epidemiology of affective disorders: Psychosocial risk factors. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39(1), 35-46.
-
Holtgraves, T. (2004). Social desirability and self-reports: Testing models of socially desirable responding. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(2), 161-172.
-
Jackson, D., Firtko, A., & Edenborough, M. (2007). Personal resilience as a strategy for surviving and thriving in the face of workplace adversity: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(1), 1-9.
-
Jackson, P. L., Meltzoff, A. N., & Decety, J. (2005). How do we perceive the pain of others? A window into the neural processes involved in empathy. NeuroImage, 24(3), 771-779.
-
Kellert, S. R. (1984). American attitudes toward and knowledge of animals: An update. In M. W. Fox & L. D. Mickley (Eds.), Advances in animal welfare science 1984/85 (pp. 177-213). Washington, DC: The Humane Society of the United States.
-
Kendall, H. A., Lobao, L. M., & Sharp, J. S. (2006). Public concern with animal well‐being: Place, social structural location, and individual experience. Rural Sociology, 71(3), 399-428.
-
Kielland, C., Skjerve, E., Østerås, O., & Zanella, A. J. (2010). Dairy farmer attitudes and empathy toward animals are associated with animal welfare indicators. Journal of Dairy Science, 93(7), 2998-3006.
-
Lanas, R., Luna, D., & Tadich, T. (2018). The relationship between working horse welfare and their owners’ socio-economic status. Animal Welfare, 27, 47-54.
-
Luna, D., Lanas, R., Vásquez, R. A., & Tadich, T. (2016). The relationship between human-animal empathy and perception of pain among working horses owners. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the International Society of Anthrozoology (ISAZ). July 7-10, Barcelona, Spain.
-
Luna, D., Vásquez, R. A., & Tadich, T. (2015). Animal welfare of urban draught horses: A perspective from the level of empathy of their owners. Proceedings of the 3er Encuentro Internacional de Investigadores en Bienestar Animal. October 27-28, Ciudad de México, México.
-
Luna, D., Yañez, J. M., & Tadich, T. (2016). Level of agreement in the recognition of pain among equine practitioners in Chile. Veterinaria México OA, 3(1), 1-8.
-
Lupien, S. J., King, S., Meaney, M. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2001). Can poverty get under your skin? Basal cortisol levels and cognitive function in children from low and high socioeconomic status. Development and Psychopathology, 13(03), 653-676.
-
Luthar, S. S. (2003). Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities. New York: Cambridge University Press.
-
McKenzie, D. J. (2005). Measuring inequality with asset indicators. Journal of Population Economics, 18(2), 229-260.
-
McLoyd, V. C. (1998). Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development. American Psychologist, 53(2), 185-204.
-
Muri, K., Tufte, P. A., Skjerve, E., & Valle, P. S. (2012). Human-animal relationships in the Norwegian dairy goat industry: Attitudes and empathy towards goats (Part I). Animal Welfare, 21(4), 535-545.
-
Musto, M., Faraone, D., & Cellini, F. (2014). The role of cognitive styles and sociodemographic characteristics in consumer perceptions and attitudes toward nonhuman animal welfare. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 17(3), 198-215.
-
Nibert, D. (2002). Animal rights/Human rights: Entanglements of oppression and liberation. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
-
Nibert, D. (2003). Humans and other animals: Sociology’s moral and intellectual challenge. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 23(3), 4-25.
-
Norring, M., Wikman, I., Hokkanen, A. H., Kujala, M. V., & Hänninen, L. (2014). Empathic veterinarians score cattle pain higher. The Veterinary Journal, 200(1), 186-190.
-
Paul, E. S. (2000). Empathy with animals and with humans: Are they linked? Anthrozoös, 13(4), 194-202.
-
Paul, E. S., & Podberscek, A. L. (2000). Veterinary education and students’ attitudes towards animal welfare. The Veterinary Record, 146(10), 269-272.
-
Popescu, S., Diugan, E. A., & Spinu, M. (2014). The interrelations of good welfare indicators assessed in working horses and their relationships with the type of work. Research in Veterinary Science, 96(2), 406-414.
-
Prickett, R. W., Norwood, F. B., & Lusk, J. L. (2010). Consumer preferences for farm animal welfare: Results from a telephone survey of US households. Animal Welfare, 19(3), 335-347.
-
Pritchard, J. C., Lindberg, A. C., Main, D. C. J., & Whay, H. R. (2005). Assessment of the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys, using health and behaviour parameters. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 69(3), 265-283.
-
Sanders, A. E., Lim, S., & Sohn, W. (2008). Resilience to urban poverty: Theoretical and empirical considerations for population health. American Journal of Public Health, 98(6), 1101-1106.
-
Signal, T. D., & Taylor, N. (2006). Attitudes to animals: Demographics within a community sample. Society & Animals, 14(2), 147-157.
-
Signal, T. D., & Taylor, N. (2007). Attitude to animals and empathy: Comparing animal protection and general community samples. Anthrozoös, 20(2), 125-130.
-
Singer, T., Seymour, B., O’doherty, J., Kaube, H., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, C. D. (2004). Empathy for pain involves the affective but not sensory components of pain. Science, 303(5661), 1157-1162.
-
Starfield, B. (1982). Family income, ill health, and medical care of US children. Journal of Public Health Policy, 3(3), 244-259.
-
Subramanian, S. V., Delgado, I., Jadue, L., Vega, J., & Kawachi, I. (2003). Income inequality and health: Multilevel analysis of Chilean communities. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57(11), 844-848.
-
Tadich, T., Escobar, A., & Pearson, R. A. (2008). Husbandry and welfare aspects of urban draught horses in the south of Chile. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria, 40(3), 267-273.
-
Tadich, T. A., & Stuardo, E. L. (2014). Strategies for improving the welfare of working equids in the Americas: A Chilean example. Revue Scientifique et Technique (International Office of Epizootics), 33(1), 203-211.
-
Taylor, N., & Signal, T. D. (2005). Empathy and attitudes to animals. Anthrozoös, 18(1), 18-27.
-
Upjohn, M. M., Pfeiffer, D. U., & Verheyen, K. L. (2014). Helping working Equidae and their owners in developing countries: Monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based interventions. The Veterinary Journal, 199(2), 210-216.
-
Upjohn, M. M., Shipton, K., Pfeiffer, D. U., Lerotholi, T., Attwood, G., & Verheyen, K. L. P. (2012). Cross‐sectional survey of owner knowledge and husbandry practices, tack and health issues affecting working horses in Lesotho. Equine Veterinary Journal, 44(3), 310-318.
-
Vanhonacker, F., Verbeke, W., Van Poucke, E., & Tuyttens, F. A. M. (2007). Segmentation based on consumers’ perceived importance and attitude toward farm animal welfare. International Journal of Sociology of Food and Agriculture, 15(3), 84-100.
-
Vecchio, R., & Annunziata, A. (2012). Italian consumer awareness of layer hens’ welfare standards: A cluster analysis. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(6), 647-655.
-
Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2006) Sustainable food consumption: Exploring the consumer ‘attitude-behavioural intention’ gap. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 19(2), 169-194.
-
Wadsworth, M. E., & Achenbach, T. M. (2005). Explaining the link between low socioeconomic status and psychopathology: Testing two mechanisms of the social causation hypothesis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1146-1153.
-
Waiblinger, S., Menke, C., & Coleman, G. (2002). The relationship between attitudes, personal characteristics and behaviour of stockpeople and subsequent behaviour and production of dairy cows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 79(3), 195-219.
-
Westbury, H. R, & Neumann, D. L. (2008). Empathy-related responses to moving film stimuli depicting human and non-human animal targets in negative circumstances. Biological Psychology, 78(1), 66-74.
-
WHOQOL-BREF. (1996). Introduction, administration, scoring and generic version of the assessment (pp. 1-18). Geneva, Switzerland: Programme on Mental Health, World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/76.pdf.
-
The World Bank. (2016). Gini index. Retrieved from http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador/SI.POV.GINI?locations=CL.
-
Zahn-Waxler, C., & Radke-Yarrow, M. (1990). The origins of empathic concern. Motivation and Emotion, 14(2), 107-130.
-
Zaman, S., Kumar, A., & Compston, P. (2014). Contribution of working equids to the livelihoods of their owners in Uttar Pradesh, India. Proceedings of the 7th International Colloquium on Working Equids (pp. 22-23). London, UK.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 448 | 270 | 15 |
| Full Text Views | 22 | 15 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 45 | 28 | 0 |
Exploring the Relationship between Socio-Demographic Background and Empathy toward Nonhuman Animals in Working Horse Caretakers
In: Society & AnimalsAbstract
Recognizing pain in nonhuman animals and empathy toward them is important for modulating human-animal relationships and animal welfare. Few studies have assessed pain recognition and empathic responses toward animals based on socio-demographic characteristics, and even fewer have examined them in socioeconomically marginalized individuals. To address this issue, four instruments were applied to 100 working horse caretakers. The socio-demographic and quality of life instruments were applied as interviews, and afterward two rating scales measuring empathy toward animals and the willingness to attribute pain to horses, in a diversity of painful conditions, were filled out. The results indicate that working horse caretakers have high levels of empathy and the willingness to attribute a high intensity of pain to equines in diverse situations that imply pain, but that neither socio-demographic status nor satisfaction with life quality were correlated with empathy toward animals or the willingness to attribute pain to horses.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 448 | 270 | 15 |
| Full Text Views | 22 | 15 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 45 | 28 | 0 |