Research Paper - Revised Group 1

THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL SLAUGHTER TO MENTAL CONDITION OF THE LABORERS
The Influence of Animal Slaughter to the Mental Condition of the Workers in Kayang
Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila
De Guzman, Audrey
Escalada, Jason
Gecale, Christine Julia
Ramirez, Mary Grace
Terrado, Matthew
Viernes, Jamia Leigh
Asia Pacific College
Senior High School Department

Acknowledgement
The completion of this study would not be possible without the help of Sir Jestoni Roby
B. Franco, our practical research adviser. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to him
for helping us in conducting this research.
We would also like to thank the adult laborers of the Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse
for their participation in our research. The group would also like to thank Mr. Romulo M.
Gutierrez for allowing us to conduct the research in his establishment. The group was able to
gather the data needed to complete our research due to their help.
Abstract
This study aims to provide awareness on the influence of animal slaughtering to the
mental condition of adult laborers in Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse which can be found in
Pasay City, Philippines. Phenomenology was used in this research since it is concerned more on
the behavior of the workers in terms of animal slaughtering procedures. This also utilizes the
different approach and behavior of the slaughterhouse workers in terms of animal slaughtering.
This research focused mainly on Post-Traumatic Stress, Bipolar Personality Disorder, and Anti-
Social Personality Disorder. In this research, the group had found that the adult laborers or
slaughterers are more likely to have PTSD and Bipolar Personality Disorder based on the
symptoms that the respondents confirmed to exhibit in their daily life at work and off work. This
research could be used as a guide for the entrepreneurs on how to manage their human resources
more. It could also be used as a call for action for abattoir owners to pay more attention to their
workers.
Keywords: Animal Slaughtering, Slaughterhouse Workers, Mental Conditions, Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder, Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress, Bipolar Personality Disorder, Anti-Social
Personality Stress Disorder

Table of Contents
Acknowledgement...........................................................................................................................i
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................ii
Chapter 1........................................................................................................................................1
The Problem and its Background....................................................................................................1
Background of the Study............................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem............................................................................................................7
Significance of the Study............................................................................................................8
Scope of Delimitations...............................................................................................................9
Definition of Terms..................................................................................................................10
Chapter 2......................................................................................................................................12
Review of Related Literature and Studies.....................................................................................12
2.1 Review of related literature.................................................................................................12
2.1.1 Foreign.........................................................................................................................12
2.1.2. Local...........................................................................................................................26
2.2 Review of related studies....................................................................................................28
2.2.1. Foreign..................................................................................................................28
2.2.2 Local............................................................................................................................35
2.3 Conceptual Framework.......................................................................................................37
Chapter 3......................................................................................................................................38
Research Methodology.................................................................................................................38
3.1 Research Method................................................................................................................38
3.2 Research Design.................................................................................................................38
3.3 Instruments.........................................................................................................................39
3.4 Subject and Locale..............................................................................................................39
3.5 Ethical Considerations........................................................................................................40
3.6 Data Collection...................................................................................................................40
3.7 Data Analysis......................................................................................................................42
Chapter 4......................................................................................................................................43
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data.........................................................................43
Chapter 5......................................................................................................................................52
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation...............................................................................52
5.1 Summary.............................................................................................................................52
5.2 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................55
5.3 Recommendation................................................................................................................58
References....................................................................................................................................59
Appendices...................................................................................................................................62
APPENDIX A: Questionnaire..................................................................................................62
APPENDIX B: School Waiver Form........................................................................................65
APPENDIX C: Letter of Request.............................................................................................66
Profile of Researchers...............................................................................................................68
1
Chapter 1
The Problem and its Background
1.1 Background of the Study
The eighteenth century marked the beginning of the concentration of animals.
They designed a chamber that could kill animals by gassing them, they also used
sharpened blade for the slaughtering. This blades was necessarily be cruel and painful
to the animals. As the time passes by the slaughter of animals became industrialized,
which is illustrated in Union stockyard, Chicago. This industrialization is said to have
created an unprecedented break with nature, it distanced people from the animals they
consume, the act of killing, and the natural environment in which animals were raised
(Cronon 1991).
Slaughter reforms also took place in the United States. Mass animal slaughter had
begun in the New World when the first famine hit the English settlers in Jamestown.
At that time the cattle, pigs and sheep they brought from England were slaughtered
for food. By the end of the eighteenth century, meat was being sold in city-owned
marketplaces and municipally licensed.

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In America, pigs hanging from the ceiling in an American slaughterhouse, a
pernicious way of killing the animals. Over seventy thousand individuals work on
slaughterhouse, face the daily burden of killing several hundred animals every hour.
Violence against animals has been linked to mental distress in humans because
workers performs a job that will put them at risk. An industrialized environment of
violence, fear and death means that animals are not the only victims of slaughtering.
The people who have to do this exhausting and brutal work suffer too .workers in the
animal slaughter and processing industry in the Philippines experience high rates of
mental distress as well as stressful work condition, yet mental health in this workforce
remains largely unstudied.
Work Conditions in Slaughterhouses largely employ minorities of color with little
to no education and a limited knowledge of the language as “at-will” employees
(employee can be let go at any time) (Schlosser, 2002). About 38% of the employees
are born outside of US and according to Bureau of Labor Statistics no high school
education is required for the entry- level positions, which provides a median pay of
$11.21/hour or $23, 320 per year (2012). Slaughterhouses have one of the highest
employee turnover rates, often exceeding 100% annually due to these poor conditions
(Human Rights Watch). When a slaughterhouse opened in Lexington, Nebraska, its
turnover rate was at 250% and this is not an isolated case (Fitzgerald 2010).
Occupational Safety and Health Administration require that all employers provide a
working space that is free of recognized hazards that could cause death, or serious
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physical harm as well as abide by the occupational safety and health standards, rules
and regulations (OSHA, United States Department of Labor). However, OSHA only
specifies physical harm, not psychological, as a threat in the work environment.
Despite OSHA specifications, work conditions of slaughterhouses are very
demanding, high risk, and can take a physiological as well as a psychological toll on
the worker. Human Rights Watch reports slaughterhouse jobs as having
“extraordinarily high rates of injury” as employees have to cut meat at the conveyor
line at a specific, constant speed (New York Times, 2005). Labeled one of the most
dangerous jobs in America, meatpacking has an injury risk rate three times higher
than the injury risk rate of a typical American factory (Schlosser, 2002). Federal
Accident Statistics report that slaughterhouses are usually not concerned with worker
rights, safety, and well-being; often paying low wages and hiring unskilled minorities
resulting in aforementioned high levels of labor turnover (Cudworth 2011). Fueled by
the rising demand for cheap meat, these facilities increase the speed of the
disassembly line putting more pressure on the low-wage employees already making a
cut every two to three seconds, which amounts to about 10,000 cuts a day on the line
processing about 300 cattle per hour (Schlosser, 2002). Fast pace of the line produces
all sorts of lacerations. One of the employees being interviewed by Gail Eisnitz
fighting for humane animal and worker treatment recalls: "I got cut across my
jugular, I was scared, scared to death. Stitches go with the territory in a packing
house. I can live with stitches. I can live with getting cut once in a while. What I can't
live with is cutting my own throat” (Eisnitz p. 55, 2009).

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The killing of domestic animal is not a good experience and can be recognized as
a moral issue. A body of research demonstrates that "psychosocial health" and the
risk of suicide varies between groups. The delivery of euthanasia and the negative
effect it may have on the veterinarians and staff workers humane killing has been a
concern for many years. The rate of suicide in the veterinary profession is at least
three times the general population rate. Some studies suggest that young female
veterinarians are at the greatest risk of negative mental health outcomes such as
suicidal idea, other mental health difficulties, and job dissatisfaction.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has perhaps existed as long as mankind has
experienced trauma. It was finally recognized as a diagnosable condition in 1980,
when the American Psychological Association included it in its Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual for mental health practitioners. Despite the length of time it took
for medical practitioners to formally recognize the condition, the disorder has been
evidenced throughout history. As a result of all types of trauma, from natural
disasters, to assault, or soldiers in battle, PTSD has been recognized as a human
response to trauma and has been known by a number of explanations throughout
history. Later, PTSD flashbacks and nightmares that were related to battle experience
could be found in documentation of the Hundred Years’ War between England and
France (1337 to 1453). Even Shakespeare alluded to it in various plays, including his
play Romeo and Juliet, in which Mercutio tells a lengthy account of Queen Mab, a
character who creates dreams in the minds of men; who would wake men through
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dreams of battle and death. The term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has
become a household name since its first appearance in 1980 in the third edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-lll) published by the
American Psychiatric Association, in the collective mind, this diagnosis is associated
with the legacy of the Vietnam War disaster. Earlier conflicts had given birth to
terms, such as “soldier's heart,” “shell shock,” and “war neurosis.” The latter
diagnosis was equivalent to the névrose de guerre and Kriegsneurose of French and
German scientific literature. This article describes how the immediate and chronic
consequences of psychological trauma made their way into medical literature, and
how concepts of diagnosis and treatment evolved over time.
Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress One extensive study suggests the form
of psychological damage suffered by slaughterhouse workers. In Perpetration-
Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of Killing, Rachel M.
MacNair describes Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (“PITS”) as a form of
post-traumatic stress disorder that results “from situations that would be traumatic if
someone were a victim, but situations for which the person in question was a causal
participant,” i.e., where the person suffering from PTSD has those symptoms because
he was involved in creating the traumatic situation.28 MacNair describes the
symptoms as including drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety, panic, depression, increased
paranoia, a sense of disintegration, dissociation or amnesia, which are incorporated
into the “psychological consequences” of the act of killing.29 MacNair’s study

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focuses mainly on the trauma experienced by, for example, combat veterans,
executioners, and Nazis. However, MacNair cites slaughterhouse workers as another
sector of the population that may be susceptible to PITS and whose situation deserves
a close study of the prevalence of PITS among the workers.
Pigs are indigenous to the Philippines. Pig meat was often raised as offerings to
the gods to curry their favor. Pigs are also considered to our lands, with the Tagalog
word “baboy”. Way back in the past decades meat also held ritualistic importance to
our ancestors. Meat goes through several channels before arriving to our table. If the
animal was sourced from a local farmer, either goes directly to a livestock dealer or
any number of accepted meat establishments. Places such as poultry dressing plants,
meat cutting plants, meat processing plants, cold storage warehouses, and
slaughterhouses all fall under the title of a meat establishment. Pigs are hit with a pipe
instead of being stunned, and carcass splitting is done on the floor rather than the
recommended and more hygienic practice of hanging the pig above a table, but they
lack the proper storage facilities for these items. Unaccredited slaughterhouses and
wet markets usually do not observe the hygienic slaughtering and handling of the
meat.
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1.2 Statement of the Problem
This study focuses on the animal slaughtering and its influence to the mental
condition of the adult workers in Kayang Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila.
Specifically, it seeks to answer the following:
1. What are the profiles of the workers?
2. What is the history of animal slaughtering?
3. What are the current mental condition of the adult laborers in the production
industry?
4. How does animal slaughtering influence the laborers’ mental condition at work in
Pasay, Metro Manila?
5. What are the things that needs to be improved for workers’ to have a better
approach at work?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to provide awareness to the influence of animal
slaughtering to the mental condition of the workers in Kayang Meat and
Slaughterhouse. This awareness could then be used by the entrepreneurs to devise
better alternatives to companies.

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1.4 Significance of the Study
Laborers of the meat production industry. This study aims to provide a better
alternative that has a lesser negative effects to the mental condition of the laborers. It
also aims to provide a better work environment for these laborers.
Entrepreneurs. This study will make the entrepreneurs aware of the cruel
mistreatment that the animals undergo when it comes to production of goods, our
study will be there basis so that they can use our research for their future
study/research. It could also be used as a basis for improvement when it comes to
managing their employees.
ABM students. To raise awareness to the students as well as applying it into the
mental awareness, because they can lead to entirely new avenues to explore in
studies. The students from ABM could also benefit from this study by having more
inspiration on ways on how to better a business. It could also teach them to have a
better management of their future workmates or employees.
Consumers. This study will make the consumers more aware of the processes
concerned when it comes to meat process. The result of the study would inform the
consumers of the scenes behind the meat products that we eat. It could also lead to
more petitions for companies to have better treatment towards their animals and a
healthier work environment for the workers.

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1.5 Scope of Delimitations
The main focus of this study is the influence of animal slaughter to the mental
condition of the workers in Pasay, Metro Manila. This study will use qualitative
research and will conduct the research at Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse in Pasay.
There are about 3 respondents and the researchers will interview the workers of the
Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. Each respondents will be interviewed or
questioned in line with their work.

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1.6 Definition of Terms
KEYWORD DEFINITION
Abattoir a slaughterhouse
Entrepreneur a person who organizes and operates a business
or businesses, taking on greater than normal
financial risks in order to do so.
Industrialized develop industries in (a country or region) on a
wide scale.
PITS Perpetration Induced Traumatic Stress
Occurs when the symptoms of Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) are caused by an act or
acts of killing or similar horrific violence.
PTSD Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder
a disorder that develops in some people who
have experienced a shocking, scary, or
dangerous event
Slaughter to kill (animals) for food
Slaughterhouse a place where animals are slaughtered for food.
Sustainable Development the organizing principle for meeting human
development goals while simultaneously
sustaining the ability of natural systems to
provide the natural resources and ecosystem

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Mental Condition term used, both by some mental health
practitioners and users of mental health
services, to describe a range of symptoms and
experiences of a person's internal life that are
commonly held to be troubling, confusing or
out of the ordinary

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Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature and Studies
This chapter presents the different articles and past studies from both foreign and
local. It includes the summary of the mentioned articles and studies, as well as their
authors and date published. These literatures and studies are related to the animal
slaughtering, its industry, and how it affects the mental state or condition of its workers.
2.1 Review of related literature
2.1.1 Foreign
Open the Slaughterhouse
By Jedediah Purdy
Published on: April 8, 2013
In 1999, Purdy was a writer for The American Prospect. As a writer he went to a
slaughterhouse to go undercover. At first, he observed the floor was slick with the residue
of blood and the air smelled like iron. A part of his brain spent the whole time trying to
remember which of Dante’s circles this scene most resembled. He also said that, “the
agriculture industry says the images are unfair. They seem to show cruelty and brutality,
but the eye can be deceiving.” Moreover, the industry says, the activists are trespassers,
Slaughterhouses and confined-feeding operations can be dangerous. Changes in personal
attitudes often translate into the way they kill the animals.
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Meet the Former Slaughterhouse Worker Who Became an Animal Rights Activist
By Anna Pippus
Published on: December 7, 2017
This article is about a former slaughterhouse worker turned animal rights activist.
The former slaughterhouse worker mentioned in this article goes with the name Josh
Agland, an in-house electricians of a slaughterhouse. In this article, he had told a brief
description of his days while working at a slaughterhouse.
One of the many things that he had learned upon entering the animal slaughtering
business is that the killings can never stop. There is a quota of the animals killed that
must be reached within a day. If this quota was not met, the workers in that type of
business would not receive their pay incentives. There should be able to kill a total of 100
animals per hour. Due to this, people wouldn’t be able to have much rest nor properly
handle an animal in a way that could make it less unbearable for them.
Even an in-house electrician like Agland could not handle the sight of the killings
that happen in these slaughterhouses. “The animals are visibly scared, dehydrated, and
covered in feces when they arrive at the slaughterhouse packed into double-decker
trucks,” stated Agland as he described the scenes that slaughterhouse workers see every
day. He had also witnessed events such as a pregnant, ex-dairy cow being killed, animals
being skinned alive, and many more.

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Sheep Farmer Felt So Guilty On Way to Slaughterhouse He Drove Lambs to
Sanctuary and Became Vegetarian
By: Jon Sharan
Published on: January 30, 2019
A sheep farmer felt extreme guilt upon driving his lambs to an abattoir. He had
told that driving the animals to the slaughterhouse had always been hard for him even
after all the years he’d spent in the meat processing industry. The name of the sheep
farmer in this article is Sivalingam Vasanthakumar.
Vasanthakumar began his career by working in his parent’s dairy farm in Sri
Lanka. The main reason of his guilt is that he didn’t want them to be killed. It had always
been a very emotional time for him. Sometimes, he would even kill the pork himself. He
said that it made him very stressed of the happenings in the industry. The sheep farmer
described that the animals would always hide at the back of the trailer. It was also said
that the transport had always been hard for him. It then became into a decision he had
built up throughout the years he had spent in the industry. That became a big enough
reason for him to quit this industry. His main reason was also because, “he couldn’t do it
anymore.”
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Slaughterhouse Workers Have PTSD From Killing Animals. Here’s Why That
Matters
By: Sarah Von Alt
Published on: May 10, 2017
Employees are hired to kill animals, such as pigs and cows that are largely gentle
creatures. Carrying out this action requires workers to disconnect from what they are
doing and from the creature standing before them. This emotional dissonance can lead to
consequences such as domestic violence, social withdrawal, anxiety, drug and alcohol
abuse, and PTSD. Slaughterhouse violence not only subjects countless workers to serious
psychological trauma but also makes its way into the communities they are part of.
Countless reports have highlighted the dangerous and unsanitary conditions faced by
workers at factory farms and slaughterhouses.
Last February, Buzzfeed News revealed that on average, one employee a month is
injured by equipment and loses a finger or limb. These workers are subjected to hazards
like injuries, respiratory illness, and infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine found out that 10 out of 22 workers who were
tested carried potentially deadly bacteria.
While the physical danger for these workers is very real, so is the psychological
trauma. PTSD Journal explains: these employees are hired to kill animals, such as pigs
16
and cows that are largely gentle creatures. Carrying out this action requires workers to
disconnect from what they are doing and from the creature standing before them. This
emotional dissonance can lead to consequences such as domestic violence, social
withdrawal, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and PTSD. To make matters worse,
slaughterhouse violence not only subjects countless workers to serious psychological
trauma but also makes its way into the communities they are part of.
A 2009 study by criminologist Amy Fitzgerald investigated the effects of
slaughterhouse employment on crime rates: The findings indicate that slaughter house
employment increases total arrest rates, arrests for violent crimes, arrests for rape, and
arrests for other sex offenses in comparison with other industries.
Fitzgerald asserts that the slaughterhouse specifically accounts for the spike in
crime; she found that when the number of slaughterhouse workers increased, the arrest
rate increased. This was the case even when controlling for variables like income, gender,
and employment in similar factory operations. Slaughterhouse workers have little power
over how animals are treated. Extreme confinement, mutilations without painkillers, and
ruthless slaughter are no fault of low-level workers.

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Slaughterhouse Worker Opens Up: 'It Was A Vision Of Hell'
By: Plant Based News
Published on: October 20, 2017
According to someone who works in a slaughter house, when you are faced with
that kind of horror, you almost become numb to it. After a while, killing became routine.
He added that the worst thing was seeing these poor, innocent animals, and knowing what
was going to happen to them. Their whole lives had been misery and they would now die
a violent, frightening death, in a cold, brutal place. It was said that most of the people in
there were like him. A lot of them didn’t want to be there.
As long as people continue to eat animals, they will have to kill them. They just
have to deal with the guilt that will haunt them forever. They have seen a lot of things
that would be enough to give them a lot of nightmares.

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Animal Cruelty and Antisocial Behavior: A Very Strong Link
By: Marc Beckoff Ph.D.
Published on: Dec 11, 2012
Eleonora Gullone, an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at
Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, brings a strong research background to the
topic of her book and this is highly valuable because it allows her to analyze what we
know and don't know about the relationship between animal cruelty and antisocial
behavior in general. She notes "The Link" refers to the idea that "acts of interpersonal
violence are frequently preceded by, or co-occur with, acts of cruelty to animals, 'red flag'
markers that previously were ignored."
Gullone argues that because animal cruelty is strongly linked to human cruelty.
Thus, "By positioning acts of animal abuse within the continuum of other antisocial
behaviors, rather than as isolated incidents or acceptable childhood rites of passage, we
can gain more progress not only in reducing animal abuse but also in improving human
safety and lowering tolerance levels for all acts of aggression."
All in all, she said that there are strong empirical links among different types of
abuse and violence, including animal cruelty, must be taken seriously. She concludes her
book as follows: “... laws should punish criminals according to the severity of the acts
they perpetrate, without discrimination or favour based on the target species of the
particular crime." (p. 139).

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The Psychological Damage of Slaughterhouse Work
A Texas Observer article reports that slaughterhouse workers face a variety of
negative emotional and psychological consequences, including post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). Thousands of workers are employed within the roughly 1,100 federally
inspected slaughterhouses in the United States. About 70 of these facilities are in Texas,
primarily in the slaughterhouse strongholds of Mineola, Muenster, and Windthorst.
Slaughterhouse workers face a variety of physical strains and dangers on the job,
but there is increasing evidence that mental suffering occurs as well. These employees are
hired to kill animals, such as pigs and cows. Carrying out this action requires workers to
disconnect from what they are doing and from the creature standing before them. This
emotional dissonance can lead to consequences such as domestic violence, social
withdrawal, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and PTSD.
There is also evidence that this work leads to increased crime in towns with
slaughterhouse factories. Amy Fitzgerald, a criminology professor at the University of
Windsor Canada, he argues that communities with a slaughterhouse have high crime rates
because the workers are “desensitized” to the violence they commit and see at work. This
desensitization is then reflected in their behavior outside of the factory. There is a
slaughterhouse worker who had to take animals life, and that worker is experiencing level
of emotional trauma.
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The Present State of British Law with reference to Animal Slaughter for Food.
By: Arnold Leese, M.R.C.V.S
Published on: July 1, 2014
The Slaughter of Animals Act, 1933, provides that all animals slaughtered for the
food of man shall die by stunning with a mechanically-operated instrument; but with
three important exceptions like Pigs, when no electric power is available, whereby these
animals are stunned; without detriment to the carcass, by means of an electric shock.
Sheep, unless the Local Authority protects them by providing in its Bye-laws that they
must be stunned. All animals killed for the food of Jews or Mahomedans.
The many societies that exist for the protection of animals from cruelty have had a
very long and hard fight to arrive even at the unsatisfactory stage in which the 1933 Act
leaves us; they have had tremendous opposition from the trade, and the British people
have no reason to be proud of their indifference and inaction in face of the fact that sheep,
in particular, have been, and often still are, subject to a shockingly dirty death at the
hands of the butcher. Nevertheless, the slaughter of cattle has at last been made humane
where Gentile food is concerned.

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It is of course necessary that all animals killed for human food should be
thoroughly well bled, and this is done by cutting the throat, so that the heart itself pumps
the blood froth the animal before it stops beating. It is quite simple; it is cutting the throat
from ear to ear without previous stunning, and letting the animal bleed to death. Before
the throat-cutting can be done, the bullock has to be thrown to the floor, or “cast,” as it is
called. Various methods of doing this are used, the usual procedure being to rope the feet
together, pass the end of the rope through a ring in the wall, and pull the rope until the
animal falls. Naturally, on the hard floor of the slaughter-house, this is rough treatment,
and when, as sometimes happens, the animal’s horns are broken in the fall, it causes acute
suffering, for a broken horn means a broken bone in the case of cattle, the horn having a
bony core. To mitigate the violence of casting, Indian rubber or straw mattresses have
been employed, but are not in general use.

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This Is Your Brain on Slaughter
The Hidden Cost of Killing Animals
By: Steven Kotler
Published on: May 23, 2010
The basic psychological thinking on this one is that working in a slaughterhouse
desensitizes humans to violence and killing. Being around any sort of violence makes one
comfortable with violence as a way of resolving problems. Once that happens the result
can only be more violence. But there's a lot of other interesting research showing this
issue goes much deeper than just general desensitization. The core idea underlying Eco
psychology is that there are direct links between the natural world and the human mind.
Our brains evolved with animals and in nature and they evolved at a time when we had a
very egalitarian relationship with animals and nature.
Eco psychologists have spent the past decade or so identifying those consequence
that any drug currently on the market and just spending five minutes in nature is enough
to boost self-esteem. We also know of links between incidents of bad weather and
increases in mental illness. And, most critically, we know that animal companionship
provides significant health and psychological benefits.

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Prevalence of serious psychological distress among slaughterhouse workers at a
United States beef packing plant.
By: Leibler JH1, Janulewicz PA1, Perry MJ
Published on: June 7, 2017
A growing body of literature documents the association between occupational
injury and poor mental health. Although animal slaughter and meatpacking workers in
the United States experience among the highest rates of occupational injury of all
industries, there have been few studies of mental health in this workforce. Industrial
meatpacking work may involve direct contact with slaughter and butchering of large
animals, which may cause distress for some individuals. Keeping pace with a quickly
moving production line, which has been identified in United States beef packing plants as
upwards of 360 head per hour, has also been identified as a cause of anxiety in this
workforce. They recruited and enrolled beef packing workers in a cross-sectional
occupational health study in June 2012 using a convenience sampling design during a
four-day recruitment period. The primary aim of this research was to evaluate
occupational pathogen exposures among meatpacking workers and secondary aims were
to assess occupational injury and psychological distress in this population. Participants
were full-time employees at a large-scale, unionized beef slaughter and processing
facility in Nebraska. Prevalence of SPD in the 30 days prior to the study was 4.4%.
Twenty subjects (14.6%) were identified as experiencing mild or moderate psychological
distress in the last 30 days and 81.0% of workers reported no psychological distress using
the categorical designations.

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A Call to Action: Psychological Harm in Slaughterhouse Workers
By: Michael Leebhowl
Published on: January 25, 2016
In America alone, over seventy thousand individuals work on slaughter lines2 and
face the daily burden of killing several hundred animals every hour.3 These workers
perform a job that, by its very nature, puts them at risk of psychological disorder and
pathological sadism. This risk emerges from a combination of many factors of
slaughterhouse work, one of which is the stressful environment that slaughtering creates.
A large portion of this stress comes from the exceptionally high rates of injury among the
workers. Slaughter facilities boast nonfatal injury rates of up to twenty out of every
hundred workers, a proportion that is steadily decreasing but still makes meatpacking far
and away the most dangerous profession in the United States. This monstrous rate mainly
comes from everyday workplace hazards that are especially present in slaughterhouses,
such as repetitive motions and heavy lifting. Employees’ interactions with live and
frightened animals that must be contained and controlled means that every minute of
work is another minute of profound danger.
The workers who are most acutely in danger are those that belong to a group
called “stickers,” or workers who slit the throats of animals so they bleed out.
Theoretically, all non-poultry livestock must be stunned before being bled out, generally
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with a contained bolt-gun or “knocker,” or by a large electrical shock. In many
operations, however, this is
rarely achieved. Foremen often tinker with the settings on knockers and electric shock
guns in order to protect the quality of the meat and set line speeds to be excessively fast,
leading to conscious, active animals often flying down the line towards stickers. The
stickers then face the danger of being struck by the large, terrified animals. Making more
stressful, is the fact that the stickers hold sharp knives for the purpose of sticking the
animals. These knives, when combined with the kicking animals, put stickers at risk of
injuries ranging from the cosmetic to the gruesomely fatal. The dangers of slaughterhouse
work are not unparalleled. Many industrial jobs come with hazards that contribute to
worker stress. However, slaughterhouse work is unique among major industries due to its
innate violence. Though there have been few truly scientific attempts to quantify how this
violence affects slaughterhouse workers’ mental health and behavior, one of the most
prominent studies investigated the impact of having a slaughterhouse in a community on
crime rates within that community, using this as a metric for psychological health.
A combination of these mental acrobatics and stressors contributes to
psychological disorder, and specifically may create a type of post-traumatic stress
disorder called perpetration-induced traumatic stress (PITS). Unlike many forms of
traumatic stress disorders in which sufferers have been victims in a traumatic situation,
sufferers of PITS are the “causal participant” in a traumatic situation.9 In other words,
they are the direct reason for another being’s trauma. Living with the knowledge of their
26
actions causes symptoms similar to those of individuals who are recipients of trauma:
substance abuse, anxiety issues, depression, and dissociation from reality
2.1.2. Local
CARABEEF FOR ALL: A CLOSER LOOK AT CARABAO SLAUGHTERING
By Chrissalyn L. Marcelo
Published on: 2012
The aforementioned slaughterhouses—save for the one in Lallo, Cagayan—do not
hang the carabao meat before cutting it into pieces, as they do not have a line rail. The
slaughterhouses have different ways of stunning the carabao to render it unconscious. In
some slaughterhouses, such as those in Mangaldan, Pangasinan; Lal-lo and Tuguegarao,
Cagayan Valley; Infanta, Quezon; and Iloilo City, stunning is done with the use of a
captive bolt pistol. But in Virac, Catanduanes and Abuyog, Leyte, stunning is still done
the traditional way: with the use of an axe and knife. Authorities said the use of axe and
knife are not recommended in the proper slaughter. It was noted in a study by Maranan,
et al though that most of the slaughterhouses in the Philippines lack the updated
equipment and facilities necessary in the performance of an optimum and hygienic
slaughter process. Despite this, the slaughtering of the animal continues because of the
demand for carabeef. Under the auspices of the FAO, the National Meat Inspection
Service (NMIS) requires that the animals be slaughtered in a hygienic way. The NMIS,
an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA), implements the guidelines and
27
policies on the proper handling, and inspection, processing, storage, and preservation of
meat and meat byproducts.
Inhumane Treatment During Transport and Slaughter
By: ESDAW
Historically, it was associated with celebratory events and rituals of mourning
and only affected a small number of dogs. However, over the past 25 years, the dog meat
trade has rapidly increased for commercial rather than cultural reasons. Investigators have
documented the existence of at least 25 dog meat restaurants and four slaughterhouses in
Baguio, seven dog meat traders in Laguna and Batangas, and two slaughterhouses in
Pangasinan. Unfortunately, there are many more underground entities involved in the
industry throughout the Northern provinces. Stray dogs are rounded up off the street and
shipped up to six hours to the Benguet province in extremely inhumane conditions
without food or water. Steel cans are forced onto their noses and their legs are tied behind
their backs. Many of the dogs are people’s pets—some are still wearing collars around
their necks. Due to the stressful transportation methods, nearly half the dogs die before
they reach their final destination. Sometimes 90 percent of the dogs die. Mortality rates
are of no concern to the dog meat traders because the dead animals are processed along
with the live ones.Behind closed doors, dogs are clubbed, their throats are cut, their fur is
scorched off with a blow-torch, and their bodies are dismembered. Half a million dogs
28
are slaughtered annually in the Philippines. The Philippine dog meat trade is primarily
centered in the city of Baguio, in the northern Luzon Island province of Benguet.
2.2 Review of related studies
2.2.1. Foreign
Killing for a Living: Psychological and Physiological Effects of Alienation of Food
Production on Slaughterhouse Workers
By: Anna Dorovskikh
Published on: 2015
There are a lot of risks that is involved in the animal slaughter business.
According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration, all employers should
provide a working space that is free of recognized hazards that could cause death, or
serious physical harm as well as abide by the occupational safety and health standards,
rules and regulations. However, this regulation only specifies on the physical aspect of
harm that the workers might endure. The harmful psychological aspect when it comes to
animal slaughtering was not specified by the OSHA. Human Rights Watch had
considered slaughterhouse work as one of the most dangerous type of work in America
due to the “extraordinarily high rates of injury.”

29
An employee interviewed by Gail Eisnitz recalled, "I got cut across my jugular, I
was scared, scared to death. Stitches go with the territory in a packing house. I can live
with stitches. I can live with getting cut once in a while. What I can't live with is cutting
my own throat” (Eisnitz p. 55, 2009). The employee had experienced not just physical
injury but also mental distress through extreme fear during that situation. As the demand
for meat increase, the pressure on the laborers also increases. They no longer have time to
rest due to the quota that they must complete within a given time period. The workers
also have to endure a lot unfavorable working environments contributed with the fact
they have to kill a great number of non-human animals non-stop in a single day.
A lot of workers had indulged into unhealthy coping mechanisms in order to cope
with the emotional toll in this industry. A lot had turned to substance abuse and alcohol.
Some had even admitted to killing with no remorse to the act committed. Several studies
have also showed that slaughterhouse workers had lower levels of empathy towards
animals compared to others. The repetitive killings had also made physiological toll.
Several had been known to experience nightmares especially during the first weeks at
work. A lot tend not to think about their work to try in keeping a positive outlook when it
comes to interacting with their loved ones. However, during bad days, workers had
reported to experience some feelings of dread. Most of the line workers interviewed in
this study also expressed their desire to leave the facility, while some were unsure on
whether or not they wanted to continue.

30
Slaughtering for a living: A hermeneutic phenomenological perspective on the well-
being of slaughterhouse employees
By: Karen Victor, Antoni Barnard
Victor and Barnard (2016) conducted a study about slaughtering livestock as their
source of income for living. Fifteen respondents participated on the interview. One of
their interview is about their first kill. According to the interview of Victor and Barnard
(2016), slaughter employees inevitably remember their first encounter with the slaughter
floor and having to slaughter. They recall vivid images of blood and describe the
experience as traumatic, feeling overwhelmed by the immediate requirement to kill and
the anticipation of having to slaughter hundreds of animals on the very first day. During
their first kill, slaughter workers remember feeling upset and experiencing physical shock
manifested by shaking and shivering. During their initial employment phase and in the
immediate couple of months thereafter, slaughterers frequently have vivid dreams about
their work. Slaughter employees narrated paranoid nightmares and dreams filled with fear
and anxiety. In fleeing from vengeful cattle, being confronted by slaughtered cattle who
fail to die, seeing animals in pain, fighting with and being watched by animals, feelings
of guilt, shame, and fear are reflected in their dreams. Those things affected their
behavior. After several questions that was asked during the interview, their data resulted
31
to having four stages of becoming an animal or livestock slaughterer; adjusting to
slaughter work, coping with and maintaining the work, and living with the psycho-social
consequences of slaughter work.
This study was conducted to explore the work-life experiences of the
slaughterhouse workers. The data analysis of this study represented process related
themes in a slaughterhouse worker’s life in the abattoir setting. Themes represent in here
were the different stages of becoming a slaughterer, adjusting or misadjusting to
slaughter work, coping with and maintaining the work, and living with the psycho-social
consequences of slaughter work. The aim of this study was to obtain a critical
understanding of the well-being of slaughterhouse employees working in the slaughter
section of a commercial South African abattoir.
It was said in this study that workplace factors and mental well-being of the
workers are closely linked. The context of slaughterhouse work is filled with violence,
persistent trauma, health hazards, serious physical strain, and many more. Workers
situated in this research’s geographical location (South Africa) often originate from the
lower class of the socio-economic spectrum. The stress which comes from work added
with the fact that these workers only receive very low income make it taxing to maintain
their good psychological health and wellbeing. South African slaughterhouse workers are
not that different from the Filipino slaughterhouse workers. They both came from a lower
32
socio-economic background, receives very little pay at times, and mostly having
completed only basic education.
This study stretches the mental trauma that the slaughterers had received during
their first kill. It was terrifying to a lot of them, so much that they were left shaking
afterwards. Recurring nightmares and dreams were also experienced by a great number of
these slaughterers. Their emotive responses also heightened. A lot became more
vulnerable to negative thoughts and emotions after entering this field of work. Feelings of
sadness and concern were also often mentioned by the employees. The trauma that these
employees received and the way they responded to them mentally and emotionally could
be linked to a possibility of a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Workers in
abattoirs also experience different personality and mood changes which could be link to
mental conditions like personality disorders. Bipolar Personality Disorder or BPD is one
of them. Although, a lot had also mentioned the feeling of being invincible or fearless
when it comes to slaughtering. Most of the workers had turned to different coping
mechanisms, both healthy and unhealthy. One of the coping mechanisms mentioned is
that one of them would separate their personal self to their work self. Others would often
detach themselves from others even to those who they care about. There are also others
who would try to find meaning in their work and would always try to look for the
33
positive side of things. After their shift, a lot don’t even have the time to do other things
due to the weariness they’ve experience in their work.
The Harrowing Psychological Toll of Slaughterhouse Work
By: Ashitha Nagesh
Published on: Sunday 31 Dec 2017 1:00 pm
Slaughterhouse laborers see animals that are, in many ways, no different to those
we welcome into our homes as family members. They then have to kill them. Hundreds,
sometimes thousands of them a day.
Slaughterhouse work has been linked to a variety of disorders, including PTSD
and the lesser-known PITS (perpetration-induced traumatic stress). Having this disorder
has also been connected to an increase in crime rates, including higher incidents of
domestic abuse, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. And as the huge demand for meat
goes up, so does the number of animals that the employees are required to kill on a daily
basis. According to Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya, a consultant psychiatrist at Nightingale mental
health hospital in London, we tend to think of PTSD as arising from a specific traumatic
incident, usually among people who have had something inflicted upon them.
Slaughterhouse workers experience something quite different. The slaughterhouse
workers can also falls into what we call repetitive trauma.

34
Rachel M. Macnair, a sociologist and psychologist, describes the disorder in her
2002 work Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of
Killing as a form of PTSD that arises ‘from situations that would be traumatic if someone
were a victim, but situations for which the person in question was a causal participant’ –
that is, where the sufferer has those symptoms because he or she created the traumatic
situation. According to Macnair, PITS can lead to anxiety, panic, depression, drug and
alcohol abuse, increased paranoia, a sense of disintegration, dissociation and amnesia.
These, she writes, are part of the ‘psychological consequences’ of killing.
Though Macnair was mainly talking about PITS in relation to executioners,
combat veterans, and Nazis in World War II –but she does say that slaughterhouse
workers are another section of society that is likely to be vulnerable.

35
36
2.2.2 Local
Small Livestock in the Philippines: The Case of Western Leyte
By: Maria Fay Rola-Rubzen, Fe Gabunada and Ria Mesorado
Published on: February 12-15, 2002
For years, increasing agricultural production, particularly crop production, has
been an underlying goal of the government. More recently however, the government has
also pushed for improving livestock productivity and increasing livestock production.
Pigs traded in Ormoc come from neighboring communities, Camotes Island, and
Mindanao. Farmers generally sell their animals live to traders. There are cases though
where they slaughter their animals and sell the meat within the village. Smallholder
farmers in Leyte are generally engaged in pig marketing rather than chicken marketing.
At present, chicken are raised mostly for home consumption as they are not currently
raised in commercial scale levels. Generally, chickens are sold only when the household
is in dire need for cash.

37
TAGBILARAN CITY SLAUGHTERHOUSE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
Published on: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
The construction of the Tagbilaran City Slaughterhouse started in 1997 to replace
the old slaughterhouse located in Cogon District.15 Operations, however, only began in
2003 when it was leased to a private entity (A.V.M. Bernardo Engineering) due to lack of
government funds. The contract between the city government and the private entity
stipulated the terms and conditions on tenure, rental, facilities and structures and
management systems. The slaughterhouse has deteriorated since the city government
took over the operations of the facility, thereby losing its “AA” accreditation. While there
are no visible issues in terms of structural integrity, the building is already dilapidated
and requires significant repair, renovation or upgrading to bring it back to “AA” standard
status. The overall functionality of the facility is constrained due to the deterioration of
major components such as drainage, wastewater management, potable water supply and
the electrical system. Some equipment no longer functions which further constrains its
operations. A re-orientation is needed on the process of slaughtering to comply with the
standard procedures and processes. The Tagbilaran slaughterhouse were the pig being
slaughtered the equipment are not organized well this will lead to severe injuries like
their electrical wires that are channeled towards the main panel board are chaotically
connected. Moreover, the wires are not encased in standard electrical conduits. Circuit
breakers and panel boards are unnecessarily exposed and the facility is not well lighted
owing to insufficient light bulbs and lamps in the working area.

38
2.3 Conceptual Framework
Animal Slaughtering
Adult Laborers
(Engaged in the act of killing animals)
POST TRAUMATIC BIPOLAR ANTI-SOCIAL

STRESS DISORDER PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
(PTSD) DISORDER (BPD) DISORDER (APD)
Hypervigilance Extreme mood swings Difficulty in sustaining

long term relationships
Easily irritable or angered For Manic Episodes:
Recklessness
Difficulty in sleeping Feelings of being jumpy
and upbeat Lack of empathy
Detachment from others
Increase in energy Participating in criminal
Hard to think positive acts
Decreased need of sleep
Reckless/Self Destructive Easily irritable/angered
Thoughts race for periods
Diminished Interests of times
Feelings of extreme guilt Often distracted
and shame
Poor decision-making
Frequent Nightmares and skills
Flashbacks on a Specific
Traumatic Event For Depressive
Episodes:
Witnessed and/or
experienced serious Feelings hopelessness
injury Decrease in interest
Experiences insomnia or
sleeping too much
Problems with
concentrating due to
negative thinking patterns
39
Chapter 3
Research Methodology
This chapter presents the different methods used in conducting this study. The
study conducted is about the animal slaughter industry. This study will determine how the
perpetration of animals influence in the formation of various mental conditions like Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorders among the workers involved in the slaughter of animals.
3.1 Research Method
Phenomenology will be used in this research. It is concerned more with the
behavior of the slaughterers in the food production industry and their approach to the
animals that they kill. Interviews will be conducted to question how slaughtering of
animals affect their behavior to people, both at work and away from work, as well as their
approach to the nonhuman animals that they interact with on a daily basis.
3.2 Research Design
This study will follow a descriptive research design. It will focus mainly on what
approach or behavior being exhibit by the adult workers of Kayang Meat and
Slaughterhouse. Statements from the respondents who passed the requirements for
questioning in our research will be utilized in this study. Behavior, beliefs, experiences,
mindset, and many more will be described in this study.

40
3.3 Instruments
The following instrument/s will be used in this research:
1. Interviews. This will be used in assessing the approach and behavior, both at work and
away from work, of the selected laborers in Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse who
passed the requirements set for this research.
2. Oral History or Life Stories. This will be used assessing the experiences that the
respondents have in similar from each other and how also differ. It will also help in
analyzing what prompted different approaches or behaviors that the respondents have
exhibit.
3.4 Subject and Locale
In this study, only adult workers from Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse at Pasay
City, Metro Manila directly involved with animal slaughter will be interviewed. These
workers should be in the age range of 21 and above, work experience in the animal
slaughter industry for one year or more, and ability to answer the questions maturely. A
total of 3 adult workers from Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse at Pasay City, Metro
Manila would be ask to provide a lot of data from different sources.

41
3.5 Ethical Considerations
There are ethical considerations that would be applied in this research. One of
these ethical considerations would be an informed consent. The research group will not
proceed in questioning a respondent without giving full consent voluntarily and
knowingly for these research. Another would be a respect anonymity and privacy. This
would be applied in order to protect our respondents’ individual identities. The group
would converse with the respondents whether or not they are comfortable with disclosing
private information in the research.
3.6 Data Collection
Purposive Sampling will be utilized in this research. This research has certain
requirements that must be met by the workers of Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. The
requirements are namely being in the age range of 21 and above, as well as having work
experience in the animal slaughter industry for one year or more. This study will consist
of 5 steps.
Step one deals with the formation of questions that would be asked during the
interview. A group discussion would be conducted among the group of researchers to
discuss on what questions to be asked as well as how to interview the respondents.

42
Step two deals with searching for respondents in Kayang Meat and
Slaughterhouse that would fit the requirements. These requirements are namely being in
the age range of 21 and above, having work experience in the animal slaughter industry
for one year or more, directly involved in the process of killing the animals in the
vicinity, and ability to answer the questions maturely. Only respondents who have passed
all these requirements will undergo questioning to be conducted by the research group.
Step three deals with the research group confirming the consents from each the
workers who have passed the criteria. The group will not proceed in interviewing a
worker who have not given consent to be questioned for the research.
Step four deals with the interview of our respondents. Two of the researchers will
be asking the respondents one by one. The remaining people in the research group will be
concerned of documenting the answers of the respondents.
Step five deals with the summarization of data gathered. The responses would
then be classified into categories through similarities.

43
3.7 Data Analysis
Content and Narrative Analysis will be applied in this research. This research will
be mostly concerned on the verbal and behavioral data coming from the adult workers of
Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. Similar responses from our respondents will be
classified into one category. This research will also take note of the personal experiences
coming from respondents. Codes would be used in order to classify the data better. Some
of these codes would be aggressive behavior, empathy towards nonhuman animals, and
many more. Each categories would then be listed as results of our research.
44
Chapter 4
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data
This chapter talks about the analyzation of the data gathered in our interview in
Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. It contains different tables that shows our coding,
categorization, and conceptualization. It also describes some explanation of the data
we’ve gathered.
For Respondent’s Profile:

What is your current age? 29 Years Old 29-59 Years Old
30 Years Old
59 Years Old
How long have you been 10 Years 7-10 years
working in the 7 Years
slaughterhouse? 10 Years
How long is your shift in the 5 hours 5-6 hours
slaughterhouse? 6 hours
5 hours
Do you mostly perform your Night (All) Night shift
shift during the day or night?
Have you or anyone in your “I didn’t had nor did anyone No history of mental disorder
family had any history of in my family have any mental
mental disorders? disorder.”
The range of the age of the respondents is between 29 years old and 59 years old.
The years of service in the animal slaughter industry ranges from 7-10 years. A normal
shift would last for about 5-6 hours at night. None of the respondents that we’ve
interviewed had a history of mental disorders in the past.

45
Are you hyper vigilant? “Not that kind of hyper vigilant but I’m Hyper PTSD
still aware of what I’m doing at work” vigilant ANXIETY
“Well, yes maybe because of what I’m Awareness BIPOLAR
doing at work”
Yes, I’m very alert in my work”
Are you easily irritable or angered? “No, because I have a long patience” Long PTSD
“Yes, sometimes, I get angry but not that patience PITS
often” Often DEPRESSION
“No, I’m not” irritated
NONE
Do you have difficulty in “No, because I’m focus with my work” Focus NONE
concentrating? “No, because I’m focus with my work” Focus NONE
“Yes because of sleepiness and stress” Stress
Do you feel detached from other “Sometimes, because I only focus on my Only focused PTSD
people after your shift in the work” on work DEREALIZATION
slaughterhouse? “If about my family, I do not feel that PITS
because I
work for them”
“No, I do not feel that way”
Do you sometimes find it hard to “Yes, hard to think positive because I’m Hard to think PTSD
think positively due to your work? killing positive
an animal” Killing
“No, I’m focused on my job” Animals
“No, because I think that I will earn if I
did my
job”
Do you sometimes act recklessly “Yes, sometimes I make sudden decision Sudden PTSD
when making decisions when because of stress in work” decision BIPOLAR
performing your shift in the “No, because sometimes I doubt what I DEPRESSION
slaughterhouse? do and I
think what are the negative effect to me”
“No I’m not like that because you should
always
stay calm”
Table 1:
Questions
46
Were your interests diminished after “Yes, because I do not have time to do my Don’t have PTSD
participating in the slaughterhouse hobbies and I just have time to rest after any time to BIPOLAR
work? my do hobbies
stressful work” Stress
“No, since basketball make my stress go
away”
“Yes, because I do not have time to do my
hobbies and I just have time to rest after
my work”
Do you feel guilt or shame after killing “Yes, even we are slaughterers, we still Feel guilty PTSD
an animal? have feelings but we have no choice BIPOLAR
because this is our job” PITS
“Yes, of course, all people have
conscience”
“No I do not since I’m already used to it”
Do you feel emotionally numb while “Yes, during my scared first work scared Scared at PTSD
going through your shift? but since it has been my work for many first PITS
years, I’m already used to it but still, I feel Emotionally ANXIETY
bad” numb DEPRESSION
“Yes, sometimes, maybe because of my Feel guilty
stressful work”
“No I do not since I’m already used to it”
The researchers only have a total of 3 respondents to be interviewed because most
of the workers are working during night. Only few of them are still working until day
time. During the interview, most of the questions are related to different kinds of mental
conditions such as PTSD, PITS, BIPOLAR, and anti-social disorder. On the interview,
we first questioned about their anger issue. The two of the respondents said that they are
not get easily irritated and angry because they said that you should have long patience
with this kind of work because it may affect their work. Only one respondent said that he
get angry during work but not that often. He sometimes get angry because of stress at
work. Another is questioning them if they have difficulty on concentrating on their work.
47
Most of them said that they do have difficulty on concentrating because they are really
focused with their work and one respondent said that he only get out of focus because of
tiredness and sleepiness. The researchers also asked them if they feel detached from other
people after their work. Only one respondent said that he feels that way because he is
likely to focus on their work. The respondents also said that they cannot think positive on
their work because they are killing a living thing. But one respondent that he only thinks
that if he killed the pigs, he will gain money. Most of the respondents said that they do
not have the time to do their interest since they only have time to rest and one of them
said that he do what he likes which is playing basketball, because it makes his stress from
work go away. The researchers asked them if they feel any guilt or shame from killing
the animals. Two of the respondents said that even they are slaughterers, they feel guilt,
but one of them said that he is already used to it since it has been his work for many
years. They were asked if they are emotionally numb from killing the animals. They said
that they are scared at their first skill. They also said that they do not know what to do. It
gave them chills and they were scared back then. But as time goes by, they become more
confident with their work. They were also questioned if they are having nightmares in
lined with their work. Two of them said that they experience nightmare which is in lined
with their work. One said that someone was getting killed in the slaughterhouse and the
other said that someone was injured during their dream. Even in reality, they saw their
co-worker get seriously injured by slipping on a boiling water and it gave them fear. All
of them said that they are afraid that it might happen to them.
Table 2:
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Do you often experience extreme “Yes, during my work I sometimes Easily get BIPOLAR
mood swings? get angry but make myself calm angry DEPRESSION
again” because of
“Sometimes I easily get angry stress
during work because of stress”
“No, I always stay calm”
Do you sometimes feel jumpy or “Yes, since it is my work” Excited BIPOLAR
upbeat whenever you perform your “Excited, because this is my only about work
shift in the slaughterhouse? work”
“No”
Do you feel an increase in energy “Well, we should be because we Energetic BIPOLAR
whenever you perform your job? might perform poor on our work” performing
“Well, we should be because we their work
might perform poor on our work”
“No”
Do you have a decreased need of “Yes, sometimes I wake up after 3 Decreased BIPOLAR
sleep due to your line of work? How to 4 hours of sleep” need of
many hours do you often sleep? “Yes, sometimes I only get to sleep sleep
for 4 hours”
“No, I get a good rest”
Do your thoughts race for brief “No, you need to focus on your Out of BIPOLAR
periods of time while working? work” focus Mental
“Sometimes, I even had accident Exhaustion
when my mind is out of focus”
“I sometimes get out of focus
because of tiredness”
Are you often distracted whenever “Well I get distracted because of NONE NONE
you perform your work? my coworkers”
“Well I get distracted because of
my coworkers”
“No, I’m only focused with my
work”
Do you consider yourself poor in “Yes, sometimes” Poor on BIPOLAR
decision making both at work and off “No, I take my time when making making PTSD
work? decision” decisions
“Yes”
On the table that is shown above, researchers asked the respondents if they
experience mood swings between their works. Two respondents said that they get angry
because of the kind of work that they are doing. Another question is if they feel an
increase of energy whenever they perform their job which is animal slaughtering. Their
response said that they should be energetic in their work because they might perform
49
poorly. They were also asked if they experience a decreased need of sleep and two of
them said they sometimes get a maximum of 4 hours of sleep because of their work.one
of them said that he got a full and good rest after his shift. Lastly, the respondents were
questioned if they consider their selves poor in decision making and two of them replied
that they are poor at making decisions the other respondent said that he is always takes
his time making decisions.

50
Table 3
Do you lack empathy “I still feel sorry for NONE NONE

to the animals to be them.” NONE
slaughtered? “I still feel pity for Lack of empathy
them since we’re
supposed to take care
of them not kill them.”
“no”
Do you have difficulty “Sometimes, because I Having hard time NONE
sustaining long term feel like this where I sustaining LDR
relationships towards already stay” NONE
people in your job and “No, I do not” NONE
personal life? “No, because they are
my coworkers for
many years”
Had you participated “No, ” NONE NONE

in any criminal act or “The job that I’ve been
anything that could working is already
show disregard to rules enough than doing
and regulations wrong things”
because of the stress in “No, I have not”
your job?
On this table, it showed that there is not enough data to consider this mental
condition which is anti-social personality disorder as mental condition that can be
influenced by the animal slaughtering. On the question about having lack of empathy,
only one said that he feels nothing to the animals that will be slaughtered.
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Table 4 (Categorization and Conceptualization)
Animal Slaughtering
Mental Condition
Post-Traumatic Perpetration Bipolar Stress Antisocial DEPRESSION ANXIETY

Stress Disorder Induced Disorder Personality
Traumatic Stress Disorder
 Feeling  Feel  Sudden  Sudden  Emotionall

detached guilty decision decision y numb
from others  Easily  Losing  Emotional  Feel guilty
only focus irritated interest ly numb  Afraid
on my work  Feel on  Feel guilty  Had
 Hard to detached hobbies  Dream nightmares
think  Stress involving  Became
positive  Feel injury more
 Feel guilty guilty  Had vigilant
 Scared at  Became nightmare
first more s
 Emotionally vigilant  Difficulty
numb  Easily in
 Dream get angry concentrat
involving  Decrease ing
injury d need of
 Had sleep
Nightmares  Out of
 Became focus
more  Poor on
vigilant decision
 Fear making
 Having  Sometime
flashback s
overslept
 Staring
into blank
space
52
The table shows the results of the number of respondents in each category of
mental disorder. We can clearly see that, in the table, there are a lot of positive results on
the symptoms (yes/sometimes) at the PTSD section compared with the other mental
disorders. Bipolar Personality Disorder also came with a lot of positive responses. On the
other hand, it displays a mostly negative response in the anti-social section. Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar Personality Disorder are both probable mental
illnesses among the adult laborers in Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse.
The table above shows all of the concept from the results of the data that the
researchers gathered. Almost all of the concepts gathered from the answer of the
respondents showed that there is more symptoms that are connected to Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. Also, two other mental condition were discovered
while analyzing the data. These are Depression and Anxiety. But, only few symptoms
matched with the mental conditions P.I.T.S, depression and anxiety. While there is not
enough symptoms that showed anti-social disorder. The said symptoms for P.T.S.D that
were gathered from the respondents that are experiencing these are: feeling detached
from others because of work, having hard time concentrating and thinking positive,
feeling guilty, being emotionally numb, having nightmares, became more vigilant, and
having flashbacks of what they are doing at work. While these are the symptoms that
were found for the Bipolar Stress disorder from the respondents: being sudden in
decision-making, losing interest on hobbies, easily get angry, decreased need of sleep, out
of focus, poor on making decision, staring into blank space. Depression and anxiety have
almost the same symptoms such as being emotionally numb, feeling guilty, having
nightmares, and difficulty on concentrating.

53
Chapter 5
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
This chapter concludes our research, The Influence of Animal Slaughter to the
Mental Condition of the Workers in Kayang Slaughterhouse at Pasay. A summary of this
research will be presented as well as the interpretations of the data gathered.
Recommendations will also contain this research.
5.1 Summary
The total respondents of the researchers is only about 3 respondents because there
are only about 8 workers in the slaughterhouse during the day. Most of them do not want
to be interviewed. Some are even drinking which is not good for the researchers to
interview because they might not get reliable answers for the researchers’ data. The three
respondents’ age ranges are inside the limit of 21 years old and above. The respondents’
age are 29 years old, 30 years old, and 59 years old. They work in the slaughterhouse for
5 to 6 hours. They work during the night until morning. None of the respondents nor the
respondents’ family had any mental condition during their childhood until now. When
they were asked if they want to change career, one out of three said that he was given a
chance he would like to change his job and said he like to work in an office because it is
more of a decent work than killing animals.

54
The eighteenth century marked the beginning of the concentration of animals.
They designed a chamber that could kill animals by gassing them, they also used
sharpened blade for the slaughtering. This blades was necessarily be cruel and painful to
the animals. As the time passes by the slaughter of animals became industrialized, which
is illustrated in Union stockyard, Chicago. This industrialization is said to have created an
unprecedented break with nature, it distanced people from the animals they consume, the
act of killing, and the natural environment in which animals were raised (Cronon 1991).
Slaughter reforms also took place in the United States. Mass animal slaughter had
begun in the New World when the first famine hit the English settlers in Jamestown. At
that time the cattle, pigs and sheep they brought from England were slaughtered for food.
By the end of the eighteenth century, meat was being sold in city-owned marketplaces
and municipally licensed.
The current mental condition of most of the researchers’ respondents showed a lot
of symptoms that are more likely connected to many mental conditions. The workers are
more likely to have PTSD and Bipolar Personality Disorder based on the symptoms that
the respondents confirmed to exhibit in their daily life at work and off work.
Based on the results from the data analysis on chapter 4, the researchers conclude
that there is a great influence to the mental condition of the workers and these are the
Post-Traumatic Stress disorder and the Bipolar Stress Disorder.

55
There is low chance for the respondents to have Anti-Social disorder since there is
not enough symptoms that signifies this mental condition. Example of symptoms of the
PTSD are having hard time concentrating and thinking positive, feeling guilty, being
emotionally numb, and having nightmares about their work. The researchers observed
that when the workers finish their long hours at work, they go home with long face. Some
are spaced out during their work. They hit the pigs and slit their neck like it was nothing
them. When the researchers asked about how they feel they always answered that they
feel sorry for the animals but they need to set aside their feelings to accomplish their
work since it is their only occupation.
The remaining two were asked why and is there anything would they want to be
change in their work. However, their only reply is that they are the ones who do the hard
jobs while the owner just wait for the profit. The workers said that their salary is pretty
low considering that they are the ones who experience these kind of work. The workers
said that there is nothing needed to change in their work but they want fairness when it
comes to their salary.

56
5.2 Conclusion
This study is focused on the influence of animal slaughtering to the mental
condition of the workers at Kayang Slaughterhouse. Its purpose is to provide awareness
to the different influences that affect the mental condition of the adult slaughterers. The
respondents of this research were the adult slaughterers located in Kayang Meat and
Slaughterhouse. Phenomenology was used in this research in order to properly analyze
the behavior and experiences of the slaughterers in Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. It
follows a descriptive research design. Interviews and real life stories coming from the
respondents were used as the instruments of our research. Gaining the consents from each
of our respondents who fitted our criteria became an important part of this research. Their
privacy is also our priority.
To know the past and current mental health of the laborers. The researchers
proceed by interviewing the laborers in the abattoir and presenting questions related to
different mental conditions which is in lined with their work. The group has also asked
the respondents to further elaborate some of their answers in order to get the answer best
suited for this research.
The group started with the categories like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress, Bipolar Personality Disorder, and Anti-Social
Personality Disorder. They became the starting categories due to them being mentioned
57
in Chapter 2 or the Review of Literature and Studies. As the study progressed, different
symptoms coming from Depression and Anxiety were also discovered. These symptoms
included being emotionally numb, feeling guilty, having nightmares, and difficulty on
concentrating.
In this research, it was found that the laborers suffered from detachment, extreme
guilt, numbness or desensitization, nightmares, flashbacks, and many more. These
symptoms are greatly associated with Post Traumatic Disorder or PTSD. Most of our
respondents had also admitted on having horrifying nightmares caused by a violent event.
Some would have nightmares of them killing or another person being killed in the
slaughterhouse. These slaughterhouse workers are also prone to different accidents
caused by their line of work.
Most of our respondents had also confirmed to having mood swings at work. A
lot also space out or become more out of focus due to both physical and emotional stress
they experience every day. The respondent’s confirmed to have experienced symptoms of
both manic and depressive episodes associated Bipolar Personality Disorder or BPD.
Most symptoms in the depressive and manic episodes were met in the category of Bipolar
Personality Disorder.
Symptoms of Anti-Social Personality Disorder came out as negative in this study.
No laborers from Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse confirmed to have any experience
58
that can be linked to this particular type of disorder. Most of the symptoms specified only
to this category of disorder came out as negative. These symptoms include engaging in
criminal acts and difficulty in sustaining long term relationships. Some of them may feel
detached at times from others but that never caused a huge strain in their relationships to
other people.
The researcher have reach the conclusion based from the result from the
respondent that there is a significant influence to the mental condition of the workers and
these are the Post-Traumatic Stress disorder and the Bipolar Stress Disorder. The main
owner of Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse is also rarely seen in the slaughterhouse. The
caretaker of the slaughterhouse seems to do all the work when it comes to overseeing the
operations in the slaughterhouse. Some of the workers also lack protective gears of
equipment for people in this potentially hazardous line of work where accidents are
relevant. The goal of this research is to provide the awareness to the entrepreneurs behind
these operations. Entrepreneurs or owners should pay more attention to their businesses
in order to provide a better workplace especially in these type of careers which involves a
lot of occupational hazards.

59
5.3 Recommendation
Laborers of Kayang. The group would like to recommend to the laborers of
Kayang to have a further look for their mental health while doing work. To
possibly make the work place more lively and more interaction with others while
working. That way it could also lessen their stress.
Entrepreneurs. The group would like to recommend the entrepreneurs to have a
better management in those slaughterhouses. A lot of stress can be attributed to
the management’s lack of awareness of what’s really happening to the
slaughterhouse.
ABM Students. The group would like to recommend to the ABM Students to
further search about the possible mental health conditions that they may encounter
when they talked about laborers who work in a slaughterhouse and possible effect
of mental conditions of laborers to the business industry that they will be entering
after they graduate.
Consumers. To not only be involved in the animal rights movement but also be
informed with the workers behind the slaughtering. They’re only doing their jobs.
Some protests from consumers when it comes to the well-being of the adult
slaughterers could also open the eyes of some neglectful entrepreneurs to be more
involved in their businesses and employees.

60
References
1. "The Psychological Damage of Slaughterhouse Work". PTSDJournal. Retrieved
23 May 2019.
2. Alt, S. (2017, May 10). Retrieved from
https://mercyforanimals.org/slaughterhouse-workers-have-ptsd-from-killing
3. Alcober, D. and Dagoy, S., 1998. Research, development and extension issues on
livestock production in smallholder farming systems in the Philippines. In:
ACIAR Project Development Workshop, May 26-29 1998, Visayas State College
of Agriculture, Baybay, Leyte.
4. Anna Dorovskikh. "Theses: Killing for a Living: Psychological and Physiological
Effects of Alienation of Food Production on Slaughterhouse Workers".
Scholar.colorado.edu. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
5. Beckoff, M. (2012, December 11). Animal Cruelty and Antisocial Behavior: A
Very Strong Link. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201212/animal-
cruelty-and-antisocial-behavior-very-strong-link
6. Carabeef for All: A Closer Look at Carabao Slaughtering Procedures. (2019,
August 7). Retrieved from https://www.agriculture.com.ph/2018/08/22/carabeef-
for-all-a-closer-look-at-carabao-slaughtering-procedures/
7. Discussions on the Tagbilaran City Slaughter house was also mentioned in the
Tagbilaran City CLUP. 2016

61
8. Dog & cat meat - Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.esdaw.eu/dog--
cat-meat---philippines.html
9. Dorovskikh, A. (2015). Killing for a Living: Psychological and Physiological
Effects of Alienation of Food Production on Slaughterhouse Workers.
10. Kotler, S. This Is Your Brain On Slaughter The Hidden Cost of Killing Animals
(2010, May 23). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-
playing-field/201005/is-your-brain-slaughter
11. Leebwohl, M. (2016, January 25). A Call to Action: Psychological Harm in
Slaughterhouse Workers. Retrieved from
https://yaleglobalhealthreview.com/2016/01/25/a-call-to-action-psychological-
harm-in-slaughterhouse-workers/
12. Leese, Arnold. "The Legalised Cruelty Of Shechita: The Jewish Method
13. Leibler, Janulwicz, and Perry (2017) Prevalence of serious psychological distress
among slaughterhouse workers at a United States beef packing plant, International
Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 11:1, DOI:
10.3233/WOR-172543
14. Nagesh, A. (2017, December 31).The Harrowing psychological toll of a
slaughterhouse work. Retrieved from https://metro.co.uk/2017/12/31/how-killing-
animals-everyday-leaves-slaughterhouse-workers-traumatised-7175087/?
ito=cbshare
15. Of Cattle-Slaughter". Retrieved 1 July 2014.

62
16. Pippus, A. (2017, December 7). Meet the Former Slaughterhouse Worker Who
Became an Animal Rights Activist. Retrieved from
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meet-the-former-slaughter_b_10199262
17. Purdy, J. (2013, April 9). Open the Slaughterhouses. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/opinion/open-the-slaughterhouses.html
18. Sharman, J. (2019, January 30). Sheep farmer who felt so guilty about driving his
lambs to slaughter rescues them and becomes a vegetarian. Retrieved from
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sheep-farmer-vegetarian-
lambs-sanctuary-slaughter-meat-industry-dairy-devon-a8754056.html
19. Slaughterhouse Worker Opens Up: 'It Was A Vision Of Hell'. (n.d.). Retrieved
from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.plantbasednews.org/.amp/opinion/plantbase
d-vegan-slaughterhouse-abattoir-hell
20. The History of Meat in the Philippines: Why Our Markets Carry Chicken, Beef,
and Pork but Not Horse or Crocodile. (2019, May 19). Retrieved from
https://www.pepper.ph/local-meat-feature/
21. Victor, K., & Barnard, A. (2016, April 20). Slaughtering for a living: A
hermeneutic phenomenological perspective on the well-being of slaughterhouse
employees. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/qhw.v11.30266
63
64
Appendices
APPENDIX A: Questionnaire
For Respondent's Profile:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your current age?
3. How long have you been working in Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse?
4. How long is your shift in the slaughterhouse?
5. Do you mostly perform your shift during the day or night times?
6. Have you or anyone in your family had any history of mental disorders?
For Data Gathering:
1. Are you hypervigilanr?
2. Are you easily irritable or angered?
3. Do you have difficulty in concentrating?
4. Do you feel detached from other people after your shift in the slaughterhouse?
5. Do you sometimes find it hard to think positively due to your work?
6. Do you sometimes act recklessly when making decisions when performing your
shift in the slaughterhouse?
7. Were your interests diminished after participating in the slaughterhouse work?
8. Do you feel guilt or shame after killing an animal?

65
9. Do you feel emotionally numb while going through your shift?
10. Do you often have nightmares involving killing an animal or another living thing?
11. Do you have dreams that involved someone getting injured gravely or dying while
working at the slaughterhouse?
12. Have you had a serious injury happen to you during your shifts in the
slaughterhouse?
13. If you had experienced serious injury, how did that affected you mentally?
14. Have you witnessed a serious injury happened to your coworker?
15. If yes, how did the event(s) that involved you or someone else getting injured (to
the point of needing immediate medical help) affect you emotionally and
mentally?
16. Do you often have flashbacks of it?
17. Are you sometimes afraid that it could happen to you as well?
18. Are you easily irritable or angered while performing the act animal slaughter?
19. Do you sometimes feel detached from others while killing animals?
20. Do you feel extreme guilt when it comes to act of slaughtering animals?
21. Have you experience nightmares of you killing an animal in a very disturbing
way?
22. Are you no longer sensitive at the act of killing animals?
23. Do you often experience extreme mood swings?
24. Do you sometimes feel jumpy or upbeat whenever you perform your shift in the
slaughterhouse?
25. Do you feel an increase in energy whenever you perform your job?
66
26. Do you have a decreased need of sleep due to your line of work? How many
hours do you often sleep?
27. Do your thoughts race for brief periods of time while working?
28. Are you often distracted whenever you perform your work?
29. Do you consider yourself poor in decision making both at work and off work?
30. Do you often feel depressed or hopeless?
31. Have you had a decrease in interest after you've joined slaughterhouse work?
32. Do you experience insomnia or sleeping too much?
33. Do you have problems concentrating due to guilt?
34. Do you lack empathy to the animals to be slaughtered?
35. Do you have difficulty sustaining long term relationships towards people in your
job and personal life?
36. Had you participated in any criminal act or anything that could show disregard to
rules and regulations because of the stress in your job”
Other Questions:
1. What do you like about your work?
2. Do you have plans on switching to another career?
3. Would you like something to be changed in your line of work?

67
APPENDIX B: School Waiver Form
The researchers invites you to be part of their research study. We are conducting a
study entitled “The Influence of Animal Slaughtering to the Mental Condition of the
Workers in Kayang Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila”. The purpose of this
interview is to know how animal slaughter influences the mental condition of the
laborers. Also, the data that we will gather will help the researcher to support their
research study. The researchers would appreciate your participation in their interview to
gain scientific knowledge that may help other people in the future. You may or may not
receive any benefit from being part of the study. There may also be risks associated with
being part of research studies such as asking personal information in lined with your
work. Your participation is voluntary. Please take your time to make your decision, and
ask the researcher to explain any words or information that you do not understand.
I have read and understood the waiver and formally giving my consent to the researchers
and my signature affixed here signifies my consent for my participation in the said
interview.
Full Name and signature Date

68
APPENDIX C: Letter of Request
September 6, 2019
ROMULO M. GUTIERREZ
Owner
Kayang Slaughterhouse
Pasay City, Metro Manila
Dear Mr. Gutierrez,
We are the ABM students from Asia Pacific College (APC). Presently, we are
conducting a study entitled “The Influence of Animal Slaughtering to the Mental
Condition of the Workers in Kayang Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila”. In
the regard, we are asking for your precious time, and effort to answer all the questions we
prepared for you that are important for the completion of the study.
69
Rest assured that all data gathered from you will be kept in the highest level of
confidentiality. Your positive response in this request will be valuable contribution for
the success of the study and will highly appreciate. Thank you very much for your
cooperation.
Respectfully yours,
Aubrey De Guzman Jason Escalada Christine Julia C. Gecale
Matthew Terrado Jamia Leigh Viernes Mary Grace Ramirez

70
Profile of Researchers
AUDREY CUI DE GUZMAN
#4 Herbs Street Magsaysay Rd., Signal Village, Taguig City
09982144336
acdgmn.289@gmail.com
Personal Information:
Birthday: September 28, 2002
Birthplace: Pasay City
Civil Status: Single
Father’s Name: Arlan De Guzman
Mother’s Name: Laraine De Guzman
Religion: Roman Catholic

71
Educational Background:
Secondary: Anne Claire Montessori School
12 Horseshoe Street, Zone 4, Signal Village, Taguig City
2017-2019
Primary: Saint Paul College Makati
D.M. Rivera St., Makati, 1210 Metro Manila
2013-2015
72
JASON MAXDALE VILLANUEVA ESCALADA
40 Columbia St. Barangay Don Bosco, Better Living Subdivision,
Paranaque City
0929457195409294571954
jasonescalada0@gmail.com
Birthday: October 29, 2002
Birthplace: Sta. Rosa, Laguna
Father’s Name: Edwin J. Escalada
Mother’s Name: Rosa Consolacion V. Escalada

73
Secondary: Mother Ma. Maddalena Starace School
42 Russia St., Better Living Subdivision, Paranaque City
2015-2019
Primary: Mother Ma. Maddalena Starace School
42 Russia St., Better Living Subdivision, Paranaque City
2008-2015
74
CHRISTINE JULIA C. GECALE
P52-15, Cor. 14th 15th Street, Villamor Air Base, Pasay City
09064109895
Christinejuliagecale@gmail.com
Birthday: Feb 15 2001
Birthplace: Pasay city
Father’s Name: Gerald O. Gecale
Mother’s Name: Christine L. Castro
Religion: Catholic
75
Secondary: Malate Catholic School
Primary: Malate Catholic School

76
MARY GRACE GALBAN RAMIREZ
#59 Pinagkaisa Street, New Lower Bicutan, Taguig City
09232933543
EmgeeRamirez@yahoo.com
Birthday: March 05, 2003
Birthplace: La Union
Father’s Name: Jun M. Ramirez
Mother’s Name: Jabie G. Ramirez
Religion: Christian
77
Secondary: Anne Claire Montessori School
#12 Horseshoe Street, Zone 4, Signal Village, Taguig City
2015-2019
Primary: Malasiqui Catholic School
Malasiqui Pangasinan
2008-2015
78
MATTHEW JOHN MAASIN TERRADO
2151 P.Binay Street, Bangkal, Makati City
09202209462
terradomatthew@gmail.com
Birthday: May 30, 2003
Birthplace: Makati City
Father’s Name: Arvin Chu
Mother’s Name: Hazel Joy M. Terrado

79
Secondary: Bangkal High School
St. Cor. Apolinario Street Gen Malvar, Makati City
2015-2019
Primary: Bangkal Elementary School
3434 Lim Street, Bangkal, Makati City,
2008-2015
80
JAMIAH LEIGH ESPARES VIERNES
25 Durian Street Purok 10-B, North Signal, Taguig City
09773679036
Jam.viernes03@gmail.com
Birthday: February 02, 2003
Birthplace: Callao Sur, Lasam Cagayan
Father’s Name: Maruel A. Viernes
Mother’s Name: Princess E. Viernes

81
Secondary: Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino High School
Aguho Street Comembo Makati City
2015-2019
Primary: Rizal Elementary School
Milkweed Street Rizal Makati City
2008-2015

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THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL SLAUGHTER TO MENTAL CONDITION OF THE LABORERS

Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila

Gecale, Christine Julia

Ramirez, Mary Grace

Viernes, Jamia Leigh

Asia Pacific College

Senior High School Department

for helping us in conducting this research.

Keywords: Animal Slaughtering, Slaughterhouse Workers, Mental Conditions, Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder, Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress, Bipolar Personality Disorder, Anti-Social

Personality Stress Disorder

The Problem and its Background

1.1 Background of the Study

The eighteenth century marked the beginning of the concentration of animals.

which is illustrated in Union stockyard, Chicago. This industrialization is said to have

marketplaces and municipally licensed.

In America, pigs hanging from the ceiling in an American slaughterhouse, a

remains largely unstudied.

Work Conditions in Slaughterhouses largely employ minorities of color with little

to no education and a limited knowledge of the language as “at-will” employees

(Human Rights Watch). When a slaughterhouse opened in Lexington, Nebraska, its

specifies physical harm, not psychological, as a threat in the work environment.

Despite OSHA specifications, work conditions of slaughterhouses are very

the worker. Human Rights Watch reports slaughterhouse jobs as having

resulting in aforementioned high levels of labor turnover (Cudworth 2011). Fueled by

live with is cutting my own throat” (Eisnitz p. 55, 2009).

suicidal idea, other mental health difficulties, and job dissatisfaction.

experienced trauma. It was finally recognized as a diagnosable condition in 1980,

when the American Psychological Association included it in its Diagnostic and

evidenced throughout history. As a result of all types of trauma, from natural

disasters, to assault, or soldiers in battle, PTSD has been recognized as a human

response to trauma and has been known by a number of explanations throughout

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-lll) published by the

American Psychiatric Association, in the collective mind, this diagnosis is associated

how concepts of diagnosis and treatment evolved over time.

Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress One extensive study suggests the form

of psychological damage suffered by slaughterhouse workers. In Perpetration-

Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of Killing, Rachel M.

MacNair describes Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (“PITS”) as a form of

he was involved in creating the traumatic situation.28 MacNair describes the

paranoia, a sense of disintegration, dissociation or amnesia, which are incorporated

into the “psychological consequences” of the act of killing.29 MacNair’s study

executioners, and Nazis. However, MacNair cites slaughterhouse workers as another

a close study of the prevalence of PITS among the workers.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

condition of the adult workers in Kayang Slaughterhouse at Pasay, Metro Manila.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following:

1. What are the profiles of the workers?

2. What is the history of animal slaughtering?

Pasay, Metro Manila?

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to provide awareness to the influence of animal

slaughtering to the mental condition of the workers in Kayang Meat and

Slaughterhouse. This awareness could then be used by the entrepreneurs to devise

better alternatives to companies.

1.4 Significance of the Study

also aims to provide a better work environment for these laborers.

study/research. It could also be used as a basis for improvement when it comes to

managing their employees.

better management of their future workmates or employees.

healthier work environment for the workers.

1.5 Scope of Delimitations