They ask no questions and pass no criticism': A mixed-methods study exploring pet ownership in autism

GRAY ATHERTON; Emma  Edisbury; ANDREA PIOVESAN; LIAM CROSS

doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05622-y

They ask no questions and pass no criticism': A mixed-methods study exploring pet ownership in autism

GRAY ATHERTON
, Emma Edisbury
, ANDREA PIOVESAN
, LIAM CROSS

Psychology

Università Iuav di Venezia

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (journal) › peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

171 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Many autistic people cite a strong attachment to animals, and some studies suggest they may even show a bias towards animals over people. This mixed-methods study explored companion animal attachment in the adult autistic community. In a quantitative study with 735 people, we found that autistic adults were equally attached to their pets as neurotypicals but were less likely to own them, even though pet ownership corresponded with better mental health outcomes. Substituting pets for people also served as a compensatory mechanism for social contact in the autistic sample. In a second qualitative study, we explored the lived experiences of 16 autistic pet owners. The interpretive phenomenological analysis highlighted the benefits and
the barriers to animal companionship. Together these mixed methods findings
underline how pets improve the lives of their autistic owners. We conclude with
specific recommendations for increasing animal companionship opportunities for autistic adults.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3280-3294
Number of pages	15
Journal	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume	53
Issue number	8
Early online date	9 Jun 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05622-y
Publication status	Published - 9 Jun 2022

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Psychology
Autism
Pets
Anthropomorphism
Animals
Mental Health
Quality of Life
Mixed methods
Mental health
Quality of life
Ownership/statistics & numerical data
Humans
Middle Aged
Mental Health/statistics & numerical data
Autistic Disorder/psychology
Male
Case-Control Studies
Human-Animal Bond
Young Adult
Adult
Female
Social Isolation
Cats
Mediation Analysis
Adolescent
Dogs
Qualitative Research

Access to Document

10.1007/s10803-022-05622-yLicence: CC BY

ManuscriptAccepted author manuscript, 1.32 MBLicence: Other
Atherton2022_Article_TheyAskNoQuestionsAndPassNoCriFinal published version, 1.17 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Many autistic people cite a strong attachment to animals, and some studies suggest they may even show a bias towards animals over people. This mixed-methods study explored companion animal attachment in the adult autistic community. In a quantitative study with 735 people, we found that autistic adults were equally attached to their pets as neurotypicals but were less likely to own them, even though pet ownership corresponded with better mental health outcomes. Substituting pets for people also served as a compensatory mechanism for social contact in the autistic sample. In a second qualitative study, we explored the lived experiences of 16 autistic pet owners. The interpretive phenomenological analysis highlighted the benefits and the barriers to animal companionship. Together these mixed methods findings underline how pets improve the lives of their autistic owners. We conclude with specific recommendations for increasing animal companionship opportunities for autistic adults.",

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They ask no questions and pass no criticism': A mixed-methods study exploring pet ownership in autism

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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