Identity-related stressors and human-animal bonds: Associations with nicotine and cannabis use among LGBTQ+ emerging adults

Abstract LGBTQ+ emerging adults frequently face stressors that heighten their risk of maladaptive coping behaviors, including substance use (SU). This study explores relationships between stressors associated with gender identity and expression (discrimination, rejection, and victimization), human-animal bonds (pet attachment and comfort derived from pets), and SU behaviors (nicotine use, cannabis use, and co-use of nicotine and cannabis) in 203 LGBTQ+ emerging adults aged 18–25 who were living with pets. Participants completed validated measures of minority stressors, human-animal bonds, and SU. Multivariable logistic regression models tested direct and moderating effects of pet attachment and comfort from pets on the relationship between minority stressors and SU. We found that victimization was significantly associated with cannabis use, but not nicotine use or co-use of cannabis and nicotine. Pet attachment and comfort derived from pets were associated with higher odds of cannabis use. However, none of the human-animal bond domains examined in this study moderated the association between minority stressors and SU outcomes. Exploratory analyses indicated that pet-related love and emotion regulation domains of the human-animal bond were most strongly correlated with cannabis use, suggesting that emotional reliance on pets may overlap with coping mechanisms driving SU. No significant associations emerged for nicotine use or co-use. These findings suggest that, while pet attachment can provide emotional support, it may also be associated with maladaptive coping behaviors such as cannabis use; therefore, further research is needed to explore these dynamics in the context of diverse populations, including LGBTQ+ emerging adults. We provide recommendations for how veterinarians, practitioners, and other professionals can support informed and safer cannabis use that helps to safeguard the health and well-being of pets.