The relationship between animal welfare and human mental health is bidirectional. Understanding how human mental health affects animal care, and how animals support human wellbeing, has important welfare implications.
The relationship between human mental health and animal welfare operates through multiple pathways. When owners experience depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges, their ability to attend to animal needs, recognize welfare problems, and provide routine care may be compromised. Animals in households with severe mental health challenges are more likely to experience neglect or inadequate care. Conversely, the therapeutic benefits of animal companionship can support human mental health in ways that create virtuous cycles of mutual wellbeing. In agricultural settings, farmer mental health directly affects stockperson-animal relationships and through them, farm animal welfare. Programs that support farmer wellbeing - addressing the very high rates of mental health problems in farming communities - therefore have animal welfare benefits alongside their human health objectives.