Against the medicalisation of companion animals: a multispecies ethnography of care and companionship. (Dataset)

This data was collected as part of a Master of Research in Anthropology exploring the medicalisation of companion animals in Australia. Ethnographic data was collected along with interviews.The data set contains the transcripts of interviews conducted with individuals involved in animal-assisted therapy, who have a service animal, or believe their companion animals significantly impact their mental health.Further research outputs by Katherine Fletcher use this data to discuss the intersubjective relationships between humans and their companion animals, the complexities of these relationships, and the ethical considerations of using another lively social creature as an instrument of therapy.The data has been de-identified.Unspecified consent was obtained by the research participants for data to be used in future research projects.Data context:This data was collected in various locations of the Central Coast NSW Australia.This data was collected to answer a research question: What is the lived experience of people who utilise their relationship with companion species to better their mental health? This was an anthropological project and utilised ethnographic methods, observations and phenomenological theories.Abstract of masters thesis:In modern Australian society, viewing negative human experiences as pathological events is becoming increasingly common. Experiences of suffering, trauma, stress, poverty, neurodivergence and anxiety are conceptualised in terms of clinical disorders, treatable through medical interventions. Human interactions with companion animals have also been medicalised through animal-assisted therapy, service animals, and individually proclaimed ‘emotional support animals’. In the process, interactions with non-humans have been commodified, researched, and medically sanctioned for their utility for human mental health. Yet, while these companions play a hugely significant role in human lives, their relationship to human health is more complicated and ambiguous than clinical psychological models allow. Medical literature often reduces the agency, individualism, and contextual behaviour of non-human species in favour of finding a statistically significant connection between the reduction of pathological symptoms and various human-animal interactions. Critiquing this project, this thesis explores the experience of living, healing, and suffering with non-human companions through a phenomenological lens. It looks beyond clinical psychological models to explore the intersubjective encounters, lively responses, and inevitable conflicts between different social species. Interactions with companion species can allow people to view themselves from different perspectives and undergo animal-motivated self alteration. However, multispecies healing experiences are subjective. They involve an intersection of particular bonds between entities, the interests of the animals, and the attitudes and expectations of humans. Our shared mortality and sociality bind humans and our companion animals together but also create conflicts, existential suffering, and change.Data processing declaration:This data has been processed to ensure the anonymity of the research participants.Details such as names, ages, and locations have been omitted or changed.Some data has been intentionally left out as it cannot be anonymised and still reflect a true research context. This data includes details surrounding medical diagnosis, medication regimes, and specific event details.Please be aware that if you intend to use this data in your research, these anonymising details may change certain aspects of your research results.The words of participants remain as unchanged as possible to ensure the sentiment of their words and their experiences can be used accurately within other research projects.

本数据集源自一项人类学研究型硕士（Master of Research in Anthropology）项目，旨在探究澳大利亚境内伴侣动物的医疗化现象。研究同时采集了民族志（ethnographic）数据与访谈资料。数据集包含对三类人群的访谈转录稿：参与动物辅助治疗（animal-assisted therapy）者、拥有服务动物（service animal）者，以及认为伴侣动物对其心理健康具有显著影响者。

凯瑟琳·弗莱彻（Katherine Fletcher）基于本数据集开展了后续研究，探讨人类与伴侣动物的主体间性（intersubjective）关系、此类关系的复杂性，以及将鲜活社会性生物用作治疗工具的伦理考量。

本数据集已完成去标识化处理。研究参与者已就数据集用于未来研究项目达成未明确说明的知情同意。

### 数据集背景
本数据集采集于澳大利亚新南威尔士州中央海岸（Central Coast NSW）的多个地点。本次研究旨在解答如下核心研究问题：借助与伴侣物种的关系改善自身心理健康的人群，其亲历生活体验究竟为何？本研究属于人类学项目，采用了民族志方法、观察法与现象学（phenomenological）理论开展研究。

### 硕士论文摘要
在现代澳大利亚社会，将负面人类经历视作病理事件的趋势日益凸显。痛苦、创伤、压力、贫困、神经多样性（neurodivergence）与焦虑等体验，均被概念化为可通过医疗干预手段治疗的临床障碍。人类与伴侣动物的互动亦通过动物辅助治疗、服务动物，以及个体宣称的「情感支持动物（emotional support animal）」实现了医疗化。在此过程中，人类与非人类生物的互动被商品化、纳入学术研究范畴，并因其对人类心理健康的效用获得医学认可。

然而，尽管伴侣动物在人类生活中扮演着极为重要的角色，其与人类健康的关系却比临床心理学模型所容许的更为复杂与模糊。医学文献往往弱化非人类物种的能动性、个体性与情境化行为，转而追求病理症状减轻与各类人兽互动之间的统计学显著关联。本论文对此展开批判性审视，以现象学视角探究人类与非人类伴侣共同生活、疗愈与经受痛苦的体验。本研究超越临床心理学模型的局限，探索不同社会物种之间的主体间相遇、鲜活的回应，以及不可避免的冲突。

与伴侣物种的互动可使人们从全新视角审视自我，并实现由动物驱动的自我改变。然而，多物种疗愈体验具有强烈的主观性，其涉及实体间特定联结、动物自身利益，以及人类的态度与期望的复杂交汇。我们共同的必死性与社会性将人类与伴侣动物紧密绑定，但同时也引发冲突、存在性痛苦与身份变迁。

### 数据处理声明
本数据集已完成匿名化处理，以确保研究参与者的身份安全。姓名、年龄与地点等可识别信息均已删除或修改。部分因无法在匿名化的同时保留真实研究背景的内容已被刻意移除，此类内容包括医疗诊断细节、用药方案与特定事件细节。

请注意，若您计划将本数据集用于自身研究，这些匿名化处理细节可能会对您的研究结果产生一定影响。参与者的原话已尽可能保留，以确保其言论的情感与真实体验能够在其他研究项目中被准确呈现。