A Multilevel Intervention Framework for Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness with Pets

Approximately one in 10 people experiencing homelessness have pets. Despite the psychosocial benefits derived from pet ownership, systemic and structural barriers can prevent this group from meeting their basic needs and exiting homelessness. A multilevel framework is proposed for improving the health and well-being of pet owners experiencing homelessness. Informed by a One Health approach, the framework identifies interventions at the policy, public, and direct service delivery levels. Policy interventions are proposed to increase the supply of pet-friendly emergency shelters, access to market rental housing and veterinary medicine, and the use of a Housing First approach. At the public level, educational interventions are needed to improve knowledge and reduce stigma about the relationship between homelessness and pet ownership. Direct service providers can support pet owners experiencing homelessness by recognizing their strengths, connecting them to community services, being aware of the risks associated with pet loss, providing harm reduction strategies, documenting animals as emotional support animals, and engaging in advocacy. By targeting policies and service approaches that exacerbate the hardships faced by pet owners experiencing homelessness, the framework is a set of deliberate actions to better support a group that is often overlooked or unaccommodated in efforts to end homelessness.

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Association between pet ownership and physical activity levels, atopic conditions, and mental health in Singapore: a propensity score-matched analysis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76739-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Xian Goh ◽

◽

Joel Shi Quan Tan ◽

Nicholas L. Syn ◽

Beverley Shu Wen Tan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Allergic Rhinitis ◽

Propensity Score ◽

Well Being ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Subgroup Analyses

AbstractAlthough existing literature increasingly suggests a positive influence of pet ownership on human physical activity levels, results from many European, American, and Japanese studies have been inconsistent. How pet ownership impacts mental health and atopy is likewise controversial and whether distinct demographic subgroups experience differential effects is unclear. This cross-sectional study surveyed participants (n = 823) via a self-administered online questionnaire. Comparisons of outcomes between pet owners and non-pet owners with subgroup analyses were performed within a propensity score-matched subset (n = 566) of respondents. There were no differences in physical activity levels or mental health scores between pet owners and non-pet owners. In subgroup analyses, compared to non-pet owners, main pet caregivers reported 14.1 (95% CI 2.79–25.3) and 19.0 (95% CI 4.70–33.3) more minutes per week of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity respectively and higher SF-36 emotional well-being (β = 2.7, 95% CI 0.100–5.32) and energy scores (β = 3.8, 95% CI 0.410–7.27). Age was a significant effect modifier of the association between pet ownership and emotional well-being, energy and social functioning scores, with greater scores above the ages of 39, 35 and 39 years old respectively (interaction p = 0.043, 0.044, 0.042). Finally, pet acquisition was associated with worsening of allergic rhinitis, while pet ownership cessation was associated with improvement of allergic rhinitis and eczema symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the public health impact of pet ownership in Southeast Asia and its findings add contextual nuance to suggest potential benefits derived from pet ownership.

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Commitment and Attachment to Pet and Emotional Well-Being Among Low-Income Pet Owners

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.376 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 114-114

Author(s):

Ke Li ◽

Fengyan Tang ◽

Mary Rauktis

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Global Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Pet Attachment ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Positive Feelings ◽

Using Data ◽

Negative Feelings

Abstract Pets play an important role in older adults’ lives, as people treat pets as their companion and family members. Owning a pet has been believed to be beneficial; however, previous literature demonstrated mixed results of the effects of pet on people’s well-being. Using data collected from 392 food pantry users in Pittsburgh, this study examined the relationships of pet ownership, attachment and commitment with emotional well-being, and investigated whether sociodemographic profiles conditioned those relationships. emotional well-being was assessed by global mental health, positive functioning, perceived negative feelings, and perceived positive feelings. Commitment to pet was measured by a 10-item scale adapted from the Miller-Rada Scale about the likelihood of giving up pet under various difficult circumstances. Attachment to pet was measured by the 23-item Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale about emotional ties to pet. About two-thirds of respondents (66%) were pet owners. Multiple regression analysis showed that pet owners perceived fewer positive feelings (e.g. happy, joyful) than non-pet owners. However, among pet owners, a higher level of pet attachment was associated with more positive feelings. Gender and education significantly moderated the effects of pet ownership on emotional well-being, as male and employed respondents were more likely to benefit from owning a pet. Moreover, the positive effects of attachment and commitment to pet were stronger among respondents with higher levels of education or in the labor force. future studies need to investigate how to promote the benefits of pet companion and address the challenges faced by low-income pet owners.

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The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10101882 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1882

Author(s):

Jennifer W. Applebaum ◽

Camie A. Tomlinson ◽

Angela Matijczak ◽

Shelby E. McDonald ◽

Barbara A. Zsembik

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Behavioral Issues ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Quantitative Analyses ◽

Pet Owner ◽

Large Survey

Pets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (n = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to assess the ways that relationships with pets impacted life during COVID-19. We used thematic analysis to analyze 3671 open-ended responses to three prompts. Reported concerns fell into three major categories: (1) pet-focused (meeting needs of pets; procuring supplies; accessing veterinary care; new and emerging behavioral issues; fate of the pet if owner becomes ill; general safety and well-being), (2) human-focused (issues with working from home; well-being and mental health; balancing responsibilities), and (3) household-focused (disease spread; economic issues). Quantitative analyses showed that the owner’s strength of attachment to their pet, economic resources, and relationship status were associated with the types of concerns expressed. Results from this study indicate that pet owners experienced unique hardships related to changes in everyday life from the COVID-19 pandemic. These hardships should be considered alongside the potential benefits found in other studies in order to manage pet owner expectations, prevent pet relinquishment, and more fully understand multifaceted human-companion animal relationships.

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Customer-Related Social Stressors

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000132 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 165-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sarah Dudenhöffer ◽

Christian Dormann

Keyword(s):

Service Providers ◽

Principal Component ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Dissonance ◽

Social Stressors ◽

Data Set ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Service Jobs ◽

Single Data

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to replicate the dimensions of the customer-related social stressors (CSS) concept across service jobs, to investigate their consequences for service providers’ well-being, and to examine emotional dissonance as mediator. Data of 20 studies comprising of different service jobs (N = 4,199) were integrated into a single data set and meta-analyzed. Confirmatory factor analyses and explorative principal component analysis confirmed four CSS scales: disproportionate expectations, verbal aggression, ambiguous expectations, disliked customers. These CSS scales were associated with burnout and job satisfaction. Most of the effects were partially mediated by emotional dissonance. Further analyses revealed that differences among jobs exist with regard to the factor solution. However, associations between CSS and outcomes are mainly invariant across service jobs.

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Love and Intimacy as Vulnerability to HIV Infection: A Case Study of MSM

Social Work Chronicle ◽

10.21863/swc/2016.5.1.007 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Archana Kaushik

Keyword(s):

Hiv Infection ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Sexual Behaviors ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Sexual Minorities ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Service Providers ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

Health Seeking ◽

Sex With Men

Sexual minorities are among the most marginalized groups in the society. Sero-positivity accentuates social exclusion among the sexual minorities. The paper aims to appraise the factors that make Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) vulnerable to HIV infection and influence their health seeking behaviors. It highlights two major domains socio-cultural and interpersonal variables. Qualitative in nature and based on ten in-depth case studies of HIV infected MSM, the study is located in Delhi, India. Factors such as age, marital status, child sexual abuse, multiple sex partners, are crucial in influencing their vulnerability. Socio-cultural milieu puts structural barriers restricting integration of MSM in the society. Cultural values do not allow talking about sex, which hampers healthy sexual behaviors. Exhibiting aggression, sexual violence, visiting sex-workers etc. are considered as important aspects to prove manhood. At the interpersonal level, possessiveness, betrayal, infidelity, heartbreak, strong emotional whirlpool when love-relations go incongruent, all takes a heavy toll of their mental and physical health. These variables socially exclude the sexual minorities from the mainstream life. Findings show positive (disclosing to family, abstinence, spiritual growth) and negative (suicide-attempts, drug-use) ways of coping among the MSM respondents. Critical areas of concern for service-providers while planning interventions for empowering people with sexual minority are delineated.

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It Has Not Been a Good Day: Managing Difficult Behaviors of Relatives With Dementia

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2192 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 639-639

Author(s):

Karen Roberto ◽

Brandy Renee McCann ◽

Tina Savla ◽

Emily Hoyt ◽

Rosemary Blieszner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Management ◽

Service Providers ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Behavior Understanding ◽

Supportive Environment ◽

Memory Problems ◽

Appropriate Care ◽

With Memory

Abstract Most family caregivers provide appropriate care and a supportive environment for their older relatives with dementia (PwD), yet the stress and strain associated with caregiving can trigger potentially harmful responses. Although much has been written about dealing with memory problems, researchers know less about how caregivers cope with difficult behaviors such as hallucinations, violent outbursts, or refusing food, medicine, or bathing. Interviews with 30 relatives providing care to community-dwelling PwD in rural Virginia revealed that caregivers typically used four behavior management strategies: reasoning with PwD; redirecting PwD’s attention; forceful actions, such as shouting at PwD; and withdrawing from interactions. Forceful management strategies and withdrawing from interactions were usually employed after reasoning and redirection failed to elicit desired behavior. Understanding whether caregivers’ expectations of PwD’s capacities are realistic, and why and when caregivers use various behavior management strategies, can help service providers develop appropriate educational interventions for frustrated caregivers.

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Classification of Mental Health among Korean Vietnam War Veterans: A Latent Profile Analysis

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2183 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 637-637

Author(s):

Hyunyup Lee ◽

Carolyn Aldwin ◽

Sungrok Kang ◽

Xyle Ku

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Vietnam War ◽

Military Service ◽

Latent Profile Analysis ◽

Service Providers ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

War Veterans ◽

Vietnam War Veterans ◽

Latent Profile

Abstract We investigated the dimensional structure of mental health among aging Korean Veterans using latent profile analysis (LPA) on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD), late onset stress symptomology (LOSS), and psychosocial well-being (PWB). The Korean Vietnam War Veterans Study consists of 367 men (Mage=72, SD=2.66). LPA identified five classes of mental health as best fitting the data. Most men were in the normal (38%) and moderate distress (31%) groups, while smaller proportions were in the low affect (13%) and severe distress (7%) groups. The resilient group (12%) had low PTSD, medium LOSS, and high PWB, and were highest on optimism, positive appraisals of military service, and social support. Negative and positive aspects of mental health outcomes were on separate dimensions rather than on a single bipolar dimension. Service providers should attempt to both reduce Veterans’ negative psychological symptoms and increase psychosocial well-being. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

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Customer delight during a crisis: understanding delight through the lens of transformative service research

Journal of Service Management ◽

10.1108/josm-05-2020-0146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 129-141 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Donald C. Barnes ◽

Jessica Mesmer-Magnus ◽

Lisa L. Scribner ◽

Alexandra Krallman ◽

Rebecca M. Guidice

Keyword(s):

Critical Incident ◽

Service Providers ◽

Psychological Theory ◽

Well Being ◽

Service Research ◽

Service Encounters ◽

Need Fulfillment ◽

Content Type ◽

Customer Delight ◽

Service Experiences

PurposeThe unprecedented dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced firms to re-envision the customer experience and find new ways to ensure positive service encounters. This context has underscored the reality that drivers of customer delight in a “traditional” context are not the same in a crisis context. While research has tended to identify hedonic need fulfillment as key to customer well-being and, ultimately, to invoking customer delight, the majority of studies were conducted in inherently positive contexts, which may limit generalizability to more challenging contexts. Through the combined lens of transformative service research (TSR) and psychological theory on hedonic and eudaimonic human needs, we evaluate the extent to which need fulfillment is the root of customer well-being and that meeting well-being needs ultimately promotes delight. We argue that in crisis contexts, the salience of needs shifts from hedonic to eudaimonic and the extent to which service experiences fulfill eudaimonic needs determines the experience and meaning of delight.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing the critical incident technique, this research surveyed 240 respondents who were asked to explain in detail a time they experienced customer delight during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed their responses according to whether these incidents reflected the salience of hedonic versus eudaimonic need fulfillment.FindingsThe results support the notion that the salience of eudaimonic needs become more pronounced during times of crisis and that service providers are more likely to elicit perceptions of delight when they leverage meeting eudaimonic needs over the hedonic needs that are typically emphasized in traditional service encounters.Originality/valueWe discuss the implications of these findings for integrating the TSR and customer delight literatures to better understand how service experiences that meet salient needs produce customer well-being and delight. Ultimately, we find customer delight can benefit well-being across individual, collective and societal levels.

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Exploring the role of an emotional support and counselling service for people with visual impairments

British Journal of Visual Impairment ◽

10.1177/0264619612465168 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 5-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Suzanne Hodge ◽

Wally Barr ◽

Louise Bowen ◽

Martina Leeven ◽

Paul Knox

Keyword(s):

Emotional Support ◽

Service Providers ◽

Low Vision ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

Well Being ◽

Service Users ◽

Social Changes ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Mixed Methods Evaluation

There is growing evidence of the need for services to address the emotional support needs of people with visual impairments. This article presents findings from a mixed methods evaluation of an emotional support and counselling (ESaC) service delivered within an integrated low vision service, focusing primarily on the qualitative findings. Data collected using a standardised measure of psychological well-being (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation–Outcome Measure; CORE-OM) show an improvement in the psychological well-being of clients of the service between baseline and follow-up assessment. Qualitative findings from interviews with service users and service providers help to illustrate and explain the experiences underlying the quantitative findings. The ESaC services are shown to be helpful to service users in two particular ways: helping them to normalise their experiences by talking to an impartial listener and helping them to accept and adapt to the physical, emotional and social changes in their lives resulting from their visual impairment.

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Management of workplace health & safety risks in new disability care arrangements

International Journal of Disability Management ◽

10.1017/idm.2014.35 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Sofia Stavropoulos

Keyword(s):

Support Services ◽

Service Providers ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Community Services ◽

Online Information ◽

Training Models ◽

E Learning ◽

Direct Guidance ◽

The Individual ◽

Types Of Information

The NDIS introduces changes to the level of control, choice and flexibility that persons with a disability can exercise over the services they require to support their individual needs. One of the main stays of NDIS is the ability for persons with a disability to utilise allocated funding how and with whom they choose to create a package of supports. Coinciding with the move towards the NDIS has been the introduction of the NSW WHS Act 2011. This Act introduces and broader new definitions relating to persons with responsibilities for ensuring health and safety at work. In some circumstances the individual person with a disability will be a direct employer, or an “other” in the workplace, and will take on responsibilities for health and safety for persons working in their home. For government organisations making funding decisions and allocating funds for the purchase of support services, there continues to be an obligation to ensure that services are conducted safely with risks to health adequately managed. NSW FACS can not “contract” out of their obligations. Instead we must work in partnership with all stakeholders to manage WHS risks as far as is reasonably practicable. Our role in government means we have the resources, experience, and must respond to the community expectation that we will support persons with a disability to understand and discharge their WHS obligations as far as is reasonably practicable. This is a way of operating presents the following questions: Do persons with disability understand the WHS obligations and risks associated with their care and supports? How to individuals with disability obtain sound advice and information on WHS risks that may be associated with their care arrangements? Can WHS information and resources that organisations like NSW Department of Family and Community Services (Ageing Disability and Home Care) have established be leverages to share with our “clients”? As Government partners in NDIS are we obligated to share our knowledge and information? What is the best way to bridge the gap in understanding and what types of information, tools and training can be made available on WHS for persons with a disability.A Joint WHS project currently underway within NSW FACS seeks to address the information and resources gap for all clients who participate in self directed funding arrangements (including NDIS). Our project will demonstrate how products and advice developed for internal staff use can be “reframed” and made accessible to persons with disability, their carers and individual service providers. The approach being applied within NSW FACS will potentially reduce costs in persons with disability being required to engage additional services to seek and develop WHS direct guidance and tools. The project being undertaken will deliver face to face training models, e-learning components and online information and tools to assist stakeholders in the NDIS and other Direct Funding Arrangements within NSW, to make informed decisions regarding WHS risk in the provision of care and support services. Guidance and information is provided on key risk areas utilising tested tools & WHS resources within the disability sector. E-learning solutions are made available to inform and train stakeholders of WHS obligations and potential risk management approaches. NSW FACS works with NGO stakeholders to ensure consistent advice and assistance is provided in the area of WHS obligations and performance expectations.

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