Association between Dog Guardianship and HIV Clinical Outcomes

Saberi, Parya; Neilands, Torsten B.; Johnson, Mallory O.

doi:10.1177/2325957413488832

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Inadequate social support is also routinely found to be correlated with poor ART adherence [ 68 , 69 ]. One additional mechanism through which dog ownership may influence ART adherence is through the routinization associated with pet care, which reflects the extent to which one’s life is organized and follows a predictable pattern [ 52 - 54 , 70 ]. Routinization has been found to be an important factor in facilitating ART adherence [ 71 - 75 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Web-Based Study of Dog Ownership and Depression Among People Living With HIV

Muldoon¹,

Kuhns²,

Supple³

et al. 2017

JMIR Ment Health

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BackgroundPeople living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are approximately twice as likely to be depressed compared with HIV-negative individuals. Depression is consistently associated with low antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, an important step within the HIV care continuum related to HIV disease progression and overall health. One factor that may have positive psychosocial benefits and promote ART adherence is dog ownership. Research indicates that dog ownership is associated with lower depression, and initial evidence suggests its positive impact on psychosocial outcomes for PLHIV.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to expand the existing research by examining the relationship between current dog ownership and depression for a sample of PLHIV while controlling for demographic characteristics and other potential confounders.MethodsParticipants aged 18 years or older and who self-reported an HIV diagnosis were recruited via social media into When Dogs Heal, a cross-sectional Web-based survey to collect data among adult PLHIV. The research visit was conducted via a Web-based survey, and there was no in-person interaction with the participant. Primary outcome measures included demographic questions (age, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation), pet ownership (type of pet owned and current dog ownership), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, 10 items), and resilience (Resilience Research Centre Adult Resilience Measure, 28 items).ResultsA total of 252 participants were enrolled into the study in January 2016, with a final analytic sample of 199 participants. Mean age was 49 years, 86.4% (172/199) of participants were male, and 80.4% (160/199) were white. Current dog ownership was prevalent among the sample (68.3%, 136/199). Bivariate analysis indicated that there was no significant relationship between depression and demographic characteristics (age, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation), with P>.05. The multivariate logistic regression, including age, race, ethnicity, gender, resilience, and current dog ownership, was significant, with P<.001. Of the 6 predictor variables, only 2 were statistically significant: dog ownership and resilience. Noncurrent dog owners had 3 times higher odds of depression in comparison with current dog owners: odds ratio 3.01; 95% CI 1.54-6.21.ConclusionsGrowing evidence suggests that dog ownership reduces the likelihood of depression and, therefore, may confer long-term health benefits on PLHIV. Future studies should explore whether dog-specific interventions are a feasible and efficacious intervention to improve outcomes among PLHIV.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Web-Based Study of Dog Ownership and Depression Among People Living With HIV

Muldoon¹,

Kuhns²,

Supple³

et al. 2017

JMIR Ment Health

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“…Finally, owning a dog has been associated with greater perceived well being in a convenience sample of 29 US military veterans with HIV/AIDS [28], greater antiretroviral drug adherence and higher CD4 cell counts in a convenience sample of 370 HIV-positive men [29], and a reduced probability of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy [30]. Pet ownership in childhood is also associated with greater empathy towards animals as an adult [31].…”

Section: Cross-sectional/epidemiological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Pet ownership and physical health

Matchock

2015

Current Opinion in Psychiatry

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The value of pet ownership and animal-assisted therapy (AAT), as a nonpharmacological treatment modality, augmentation to traditional treatment, and healthy preventive behavior (in the case of pet ownership), is starting to be realized. However, more investigations that employ randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and investigations that more closely examine the underlying mechanism of the pet-health effect, such as oxytocin, are needed.

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