Older Lesbian Adults’ Psychological Well-Being: The Significance of Pets

Abstract

There is an urgent need to understand more about how social support affects the mental health of older lesbian adults, who have been underrepresented in research to date and who bear a disproportionately high rate of psychological distress. A robust, yet controversial, body of literature suggests that pets are associated with human psychological well-being, and this is especially true for older adults. Through semistructured interviews, this qualitative study explored the perceived impact of companion animals on the psychological well-being of older lesbian adults. The present study advances the literature by identifying two intertwined aspects of human-animal interaction—framed as love and caregiving—that have potential implications for four specific dimensions of psychological well-being among a sample of 12 older lesbian adults. This article also identifies ways in which having an animal can be difficult, and concludes with implications for social work practice and future research.