Oosthuizen Karl, Haase Bianca, Ravulo Jioji, Lomax Sabrina, Ma Gemma
Sydney School of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Mar 5;13(5):941. doi: 10.3390/ani13050941.
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.
通过提供社会支持，人与动物的纽带已被证明能改善宠物主人的健康和幸福感，尤其是那些处于危机状况的人。危机状况下人与动物的纽带是复杂且多方面的，因为它已显示出能改善健康，然而由于担心留下宠物，它也可能阻碍人们寻求帮助。该研究的目的是了解并评估人与动物的纽带在危机状况下对人的作用。2021年和2022年，对参与新南威尔士州皇家防止虐待动物协会社区项目的宠物主人（n = 13）进行了半结构化访谈。研究结果表明，处于危机状况的人高度重视人与动物的纽带，这种纽带会影响人们寻求帮助或避难的能力，并且能帮助人们在危机后恢复。研究结果表明，社区危机支持服务、监狱系统、医院系统、紧急住房和政府立法应认识到并致力于维护这种纽带，以便为处于危机状况的人提供最佳帮助。
