Mental Health and Well-Being of Nonhuman-Identified Individuals: The Role of Minority Stress and Resilience

Abstract

Nonhuman-identified individuals identify as animals, mythological beings, fictional species or characters, and other nonhuman entities alongside or instead of identifying as human. The limited research that exists on this topic has identified evidence for elevated proportions of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) and autistic identities among nonhuman-identified populations, as well as themes analogous to minority stress and resilience factors seen among TNB populations; however, these topics have not been explored directly. Thus, the aims of this study were to 1) compare mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being), camouflaging, and prioritizing meaning between nonhuman- and human-identified participants while accounting for autistic identity; 2) create and evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure of species dysphoria; 3) quantitatively investigate a minority stress and resilience model for nonhuman-identified participants; and 4) qualitatively explore nonhuman-identified participants’ lived experiences with their intersectional identities and minority stress and resilience.

This study consisted of a paid online survey that successfully employed a matching paradigm to create equivalent nonhuman- and human-identified groups (N = 317). There were no differences in mental health outcomes between nonhuman- and human-identified participants, but autistic participants scored higher on anxiety and camouflaging than non-autistic participants. The Species Dysphoria Scale demonstrated robust psychometric properties. Quantitative analyses of minority stress and resilience factors identified 1) camouflaging and species dysphoria as predictors of both psychological distress and psychological well-being and 2) identity pride and prioritizing meaning as predictors of psychological well-being among nonhuman-identified individuals. Qualitative analysis identified themes in nonhuman-identified individuals’ perceptions of the relationships between their nonhuman, gender, and autistic identities; minority stress and resilience factors consistent with the quantitative results; and positive qualities of their nonhuman identities.

These results demonstrate the applicability of the minority stress framework to nonhuman-identified populations. Thus, clinicians should both inquire about nonhuman identity among clients and utilize interventions aimed at reducing minority stressors and increasing resilience factors when working with nonhuman-identified individuals. Additional research is needed to replicate and extend the present findings. Ultimately, this study demonstrates the importance of taking a contextual and non-pathologizing approach to understanding the experiences and mental health of nonhuman-identified individuals.