File(s) under permanent embargo
The development of a screening questionnaire for childhood cruelty to animals
journal contribution
posted on 2001-01-01, 00:00 authored by E Guymer, David MellorDavid Mellor, E Luk, V PearseChildhood cruelty to animals may be a marker of poor prognosis amongst conduct disordered children. However, other than semistructured interviews with parents or children, there are no screening instruments for this behavior. The aim of this study was to develop such an instrument. In the first phase of the study, a parent-report questionnaire, Children's Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Animals (CABTA) was designed and piloted on 360 elementary school children, enabling community norms and a factor structure for the instrument to be derived. In the second phase, the questionnaire was completed by the parents of a small sample of children (N= 17) to establish its test-retest reliability. In the third phase of the study, the CABTA was completed by the parents of 19 children who had been diagnosed with either a Disruptive Behavioral Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and the results were compared with the outcome of a semistructured interview with parents regarding their child's behavior toward animals. The results of the various phases of the study indicated that the CABTA consists of two factors, Typical and Malicious Cruelty to animals, and is a reliable and valid tool for detecting childhood cruelty to animals. Possible use and adaptations of the CABTA as a screening instrument in clinical and community samples are discussed.
History
Journal
Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplinesVolume
42Issue
8Pagination
1057 - 1063Publisher
Cambridge University PressLocation
Cambridge, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
0021-9630Language
engNotes
Published Online: 8 Oct 2003Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2001, Association for Child Psychology and PsychiatryUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC