‘Being together really helped’: Australian transgender and non-binary people and their animal companions living through violence and marginalisation

Abstract

This article explores the intersections of human and animal lives in the context of violence and marginalisation. It draws on two studies, the first involving a sub-sample of 23 open-ended survey responses completed by transgender and non-binary (TNB) people taken from a larger study exploring the intersections of animal- and human-directed violence, and the second involving eight interviews with TNB people focused on the meaning of animal companionship. Together, the findings suggest that animal companionship can be a protective factor for TNB people experiencing marginalisation and/or distress, whether in the context of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) or in the context of other forms of intra- or inter-personal points or adversity. The findings suggest that animal companions can provide TNB people with comfort and non-judgemental emotional interactions in the face of DVA and other life stressors. However, the risk of violence directed towards animals must also be considered. The article concludes with discussion of the implications for DVA service provision and research.

Relations Between Sexual and Gender Minority Stress, Personal Hardiness, and Psychological Stress in Emerging Adulthood: Examining Indirect Effects via Human-animal Interaction

“…It is well documented that youth and adults turn to pets for physiological and emotional comfort during times of stress (Tomlinson et al, 2020). Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that both pet ownership and positive engagement with pets help to mitigate associations between familial victimization and psychological stress in sexual and gender minority and majority samples (Riggs et al, 2018; Rosenberg et al, 2020). Although research on the effects of HAI among emerging adults is limited, these studies, when examined collectively, suggest that HAI may be a particularly beneficial and prevalent means of coping with the potential to foster both personal hardiness and resilience to psychological stress in SGM populations (Fuller & Riggs, 2019).…”

The Moderating Effect of Comfort from Companion Animals and Social Support on the Relationship between Microaggressions and Mental Health in LGBTQ+ Emerging Adults

“…However, less is known about the role of companion animals in the lives of younger LGBTQ+ populations and the potential protective impact of relationships with companion animals on experiences of LGBTQ-related stressors. Recent studies conducted with LGBTQ+ adults experiencing family violence found that pet ownership and positive interactions with pets buffered the relationship between victimization by family members and psychological stress [49,50]. Additionally, a recent study found an indirect effect of exposure to interpersonal microaggressions on personal hardiness via human-animal interaction; increases in interpersonal microaggressions were related to increases in human-animal interaction, which in turn were related to increases in self-reported personal hardiness [51].…”

Human–Animal Interaction and Perinatal Mental Health: A Narrative Review of Selected Literature and Call for Research

“…Indeed, many individuals perceive that companion animals are more reliable sources of socioemotional support than humans; this is particularly true among marginalized populations impacted by adverse social relationships and environments [ 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 ]. To this end, there is some evidence that pet ownership and other aspects of HAI (attachment to pets, positive engagement with pets, emotional comfort derived from pets) may help to mitigate the deleterious impacts of adverse experiences and stress on psychological wellbeing (i.e., anxiety and mood disorder symptoms; [ 29 , 120 , 123 , 124 , 125 ]). For example, prior studies provide evidence that: HAI may function as a protective factor that buffers the relation between intimate partner violence exposure and internalizing symptoms in children [ 123 ]; emerging adults seek out HAI as a coping strategy following exposure to sexual and gender minority stressors and, in turn, HAI fosters personal hardiness following adversity [ 126 ]; HAI buffers the impact of victimization on self-esteem among LGBTQ+ emerging adults [ 29 ]; and adults who experience familial abuse and live with an animal report less psychological distress than adults experiencing abuse who do not live with pets [ 124 ].…”