Creature comforts: personal communities, pets and the work of managing a long-term condition.
OBJECTIVE
To explore in the context of peoples' personal social networks, the contribution that pets make to 'the work' associated with the management of long-term conditions.


METHODS
Mixed methods survey with nested parallel qualitative study; 300 participants were drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices across Greater Manchester in the North West of England. Notions of 'work' were used to describe the illness and everyday activities associated with chronic illness.


RESULTS
Nineteen percent of participants identified at least one pet within their network. Pets contributed mostly to managing emotions (emotional work), to enhancing a sense of self identity (biographical work) and to a lesser extent practical tasks (everyday work). There were indicators that pets mediated relationships for people living with a long-term condition through very weak ties with others in domestic and community settings.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that pets have unique qualities and are not simply substitutes for human relationships in long-term condition management. The study has potential implications for furthering a social contextual analysis of chronic illness, the understanding of relationships, and the meaning and the role of companion animals in long-term condition management.
Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for Greater Manchester, School of Community Based Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. helen.cording@manchester.ac.uk
Helen L
HL
Brooks
Anne
A
Rogers
Dharmi
D
Kapadia
Jack
J
Pilgrim
David
D
Reeves
Ivaylo
I
Vassilev
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D057805:Pets; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult