“He was like, my ride or die”: Sexual and Gender Minority Emerging Adults’ Perspectives on Living With Pets During the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the benefits and risks associated with living with companion animals during the transition to adulthood among 117 sexual and gender minority (SGM) emerging adults living in the U.S. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using template analysis. Thematic analysis identified several risks (caregiver burden, pets as barriers to relationships, animal-related psychological stress) and benefits (pets as a buffer to stress, pets as social capital, pets as a coping mechanism for mental health, and pets as identity and purpose) associated with living with pets. Our results suggest that pets may influence SGM emerging adult identity development and related wellbeing by facilitating feelings of belongingness, positive self-regard, and purpose; promoting social interactions; and providing emotional support and comfort to cope with stress. However, pets, and their associated care, were also a source of caregiving burden and psychological stress. We discuss practice and policy implications and directions for future research.

Dogs and the Good Life: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Association Between the Dog–Owner Relationship and Owner Mental Wellbeing

“…Even though our quantitative data showed that stronger emotional closeness with the dog was associated with poorer anxiety and depression, this is likely to be in part due to reverse causality and seeking out support from dogs (a form of co-dependency), as our qualitative research showed that the presence of the dog sometimes lessened mental health symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts or self-harming. Dog ownership may be valued for its protective effects, especially in at risk populations, such as LGBTQ+ emerging adults ( Mcdonald et al, 2021 ), adults with a diagnosis of autism ( Barcelos et al, 2021 ), or older adults who are at higher risk of fatal first suicidal attempts ( Figueiredo et al, 2015 ; Young et al, 2020 ), and this requires further investigation. There are perhaps parallels to consider regarding the caregiving responsibility of parenthood and suggested impacts on lower suicide rates in adults with children ( Dehara et al, 2021 ).…”

Disenfranchised Guilt—Pet Owners’ Burden

“…Research pertaining to WFC and parental guilt has centered around human family members, yet 70% of US homes have a pet [42], and the majority of pet owners (85% of dog owners and 76% of cat owners) consider their pets to be family members [43]. Pets have been shown to provide a plethora of benefits, including increased wellbeing [44][45][46][47][48][49][50], stress reduction [51][52][53], a buffer against depression [54][55][56][57][58] and anxiety [59][60][61], motivation to exercise [62][63][64], increased longevity [65,66], higher social functioning [67], enhanced social support [53,54], and a buffer against adverse family circumstances [68] and stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic [69][70][71][72][73][74]. It should be noted, however, that many studies have failed to find positive physical or psychological effects of animals [75][76][77].…”

The Impact of Sustained Ownership of a Pet on Cognitive Health: A Population-Based Study

“…Perceived social support between humans is thought to provide benefits to mental health both directly and indirectly via stress buffering (Thoits, 2011). Although pets are not capable of providing tangible or instrumental support (e.g., a car ride to a doctor’s appointment), some studies suggest that they may provide owners with emotional support, particularly when owners are otherwise socially isolated (McDonald et al, 2021a). That said, it is important to note that pet owners in this study tended to have a higher incidence of depression than non-owners.…”