The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations
Human–animal bonds, by providing social support, have been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of pet owners, especially those experiencing a crisis situation. The human–animal bond for people in crisis situations is complex and multifaceted, as it has shown to improve health, whilst it can al...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/941 |
| _version_ | 1797615814592954368 |
|---|---|
| author | Karl Oosthuizen Bianca Haase Jioji Ravulo Sabrina Lomax Gemma Ma |
| author_facet | Karl Oosthuizen Bianca Haase Jioji Ravulo Sabrina Lomax Gemma Ma |
| author_sort | Karl Oosthuizen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human–animal bonds, by providing social support, have been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of pet owners, especially those experiencing a crisis situation. The human–animal bond for people in crisis situations is complex and multifaceted, as it has shown to improve health, whilst it can also discourage people from seeking help, due to fears of leaving their pet behind. The purpose of the study is to capture and to assess the role of the human–animal bond for people in crisis situations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners involved in the RSPCA NSW Community Programs (n = 13) in 2021 and 2022. The findings of the study indicate that the human–animal bond is highly valued by people experiencing crisis situations, that the human–animal bonds can affect people’s ability to seek help or refuge, and that the human–animal bond helps people to recover after a crisis. The findings suggest that community crisis support services, prison systems, hospital systems, emergency housing, and government legislation should recognize and aim to preserve this bond to provide the best help for people experiencing crisis situations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cbb341b985af4f098acff90e19511ca9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-cbb341b985af4f098acff90e19511ca92023-11-17T07:14:24ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-03-0113594110.3390/ani13050941The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis SituationsKarl Oosthuizen0Bianca Haase1Jioji Ravulo2Sabrina Lomax3Gemma Ma4Sydney School of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Education and Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaHuman–animal bonds, by providing social support, have been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of pet owners, especially those experiencing a crisis situation. The human–animal bond for people in crisis situations is complex and multifaceted, as it has shown to improve health, whilst it can also discourage people from seeking help, due to fears of leaving their pet behind. The purpose of the study is to capture and to assess the role of the human–animal bond for people in crisis situations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners involved in the RSPCA NSW Community Programs (n = 13) in 2021 and 2022. The findings of the study indicate that the human–animal bond is highly valued by people experiencing crisis situations, that the human–animal bonds can affect people’s ability to seek help or refuge, and that the human–animal bond helps people to recover after a crisis. The findings suggest that community crisis support services, prison systems, hospital systems, emergency housing, and government legislation should recognize and aim to preserve this bond to provide the best help for people experiencing crisis situations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/941human–animal bondscompanion animalpetcrisis situationssocial supportcoping |
| spellingShingle | Karl Oosthuizen Bianca Haase Jioji Ravulo Sabrina Lomax Gemma Ma The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations Animals human–animal bonds companion animal pet crisis situations social support coping |
| title | The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations |
| title_full | The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations |
| title_short | The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations |
| title_sort | role of human animal bonds for people experiencing crisis situations |
| topic | human–animal bonds companion animal pet crisis situations social support coping |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/941 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT karloosthuizen theroleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT biancahaase theroleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT jiojiravulo theroleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT sabrinalomax theroleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT gemmama theroleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT karloosthuizen roleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT biancahaase roleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT jiojiravulo roleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT sabrinalomax roleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations AT gemmama roleofhumananimalbondsforpeopleexperiencingcrisissituations |