Another breed of “service” animals: STARS study findings about pet ownership and recovery from serious mental illness.

Abstract

This study elucidates the role of pets in recovery processes among adults with serious mental illness. Data derive from interviews with 177 HMO members with serious mental illness (52.2% women, average age 48.8). Interviews and questionnaires addressed factors affecting recovery processes and included questions about pet ownership. Data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory method to identify the roles pets play in the recovery process. Primary themes indicate pets assist individuals in recovery from serious mental illness by (a) providing empathy and "therapy"; (b) providing connections that can assist in redeveloping social avenues; (c) serving as "family" in the absence of or in addition to human family members; and (d) supporting self-efficacy and strengthening a sense of empowerment. Pets appear to provide more benefits than merely companionship. Participants' reports of pet-related contributions to their well-being provide impetus to conduct more formal research on the mechanisms by which pets contribute to recovery and to develop pet-based interventions.

The feasibility of brief dog-assisted therapy on university students stress levels: the PAwS study

“…From Autistic Spectrum Disorders (Kern et al, 2011;O 'Haire, 2013) to severe mental illness (Barker & Dawson, 1998;Kamioka et al, 2014;Maujean et al, 2015;Wisdom et al, 2009), the literature increasingly indicates there is value in the facilitation of human-animal contact within interdisciplinary clinical practice. This therapeutic framework has resulted in the use of terms such as ''pet therapy'', ''animal-assisted therapy'' and ''animal-assisted activities'', referring to a reciprocal dynamic between humans and animals which addresses ''physical and/or emotional needs'' (Adams, 2010;Carmack, 1984).…”

The relationship between persons with mental health problems and their dogs: A qualitative study within a nursing perspective

“…This had five different themes, with varying numbers of questions. The interview guide was based on previous research, primarily on the findings of Wisdom et al [10] .…”

“…Wisdom et al also showed that the respondents' control of their pets and their relationships with their pets empowered them and increased their self-efficacy/self-worth, although in some cases, the responsibility combined with other stress factors became too much, sometimes leading to depression. The loss of an animal could also induce depression [10] .…”

“…Wisdom et al [10] suggested that health-care providers should be aware of the relationships between person with mental health problems and their animals, and that further research into this is warranted. These factors, together with the lack of qualitative nursing research on the subject, underpin the aim of this study: to examine how people with mental-health problems experience owning a dog.…”

“…Wisdom et al [10] examined how people with mental-health disorders benefited from owning a pet in terms of their recovery, interviewing 177 people with mental-health disorders. They found that pets were a form of therapy and contributed empathy by understanding their owners and responding to their feelings.…”