Conditions for pets to prevent depression in older adults

Cheung, Chau‐kiu; Kam, Ping Kwong

doi:10.1080/13607863.2017.1385723

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Similarly, Antonacopoulos and Pychyl (2010) found pet owners with low levels of human social support and strong HAB had increased loneliness and depression, and concluded that the HAB and its relationship with psychological health outcomes was complex. Finally, engagement with a companion animal rather than the sole presence of a companion animal was related to lower levels of depression in older adults (Cheung & Kam, 2018). However, much of the research into HAB and mental health focuses on ownership of, caring for, and/or companionship with pets, with little reporting on how the strength of the bond impacts mental health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are stronger bonds better? Examining the relationship between the human–animal bond and human social support, and its impact on resilience

Hill

Winefield

Bennett

2020

Australian Psychologist

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The human-animal bond (HAB) has been shown to provide a buffering effect for stress and adversity, particularly when individuals experience lower social support networks. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the HAB, perceived human social support and resilience by assessing whether the HAB could moderate the impact of social support as a protective factor for resilience. Additionally, whether the relationship between the HAB and human social support may be curvilinear was explored. Method: A cross-sectional study of a large community sample of pet owners (n = 392) and non-owners (n = 146) provided information about their human social supports and resilience, and the strength of pet owners emotional bond to their companion animal. Results: There was no difference in levels of resilience between pet owners and non-owners, but social support was positively associated with resilience for both. The HAB was not a significant moderator between levels of social support and resilience for owners. However, there was a significant curvilinear relationship between the HAB and perceived human social support. Conclusion: The lack of evidence for HAB being a buffer between perceived human social support and resilience may partly be due to the curvilinear relationship between the strength of the HAB and perceived human social support. Extremely weak or strong HABs may be correlated with a reduced capacity to build resilience and process adversity. Therefore, this study highlights the complexities of the HAB and its relationship with human mental health, offering alternative considerations for future research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are stronger bonds better? Examining the relationship between the human–animal bond and human social support, and its impact on resilience

Hill

Winefield

Bennett

2020

Australian Psychologist

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“…Keeping pets has been shown to correlate with positive health outcomes when facing serious health issues, e.g., a reduced risk for mortality after a heart attack ( 7 ). Furthermore, there is evidence that pet owners in late life may have better psychosocial health, such as less depressive symptoms or decreased loneliness ( 8 – 11 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Self-Esteem Between Cat Owners, Dog Owners, and Individuals Without Pets

2020

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Introduction: Pet ownership may provide an additional source of social support and may contribute to the owner's self-esteem. Self-esteem is considered a basic human need and is associated with psychological conditions such as depressive symptoms. To date, there is limited knowledge on the association between keeping a pet and self-esteem. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether cat owners, dog owners, and individuals without pets differ in terms of self-esteem (total sample and stratified by sex). Methods: Data were taken from the German Aging Survey (wave 5; nationally representative sample of individuals residing in private households ≥40 years). In this survey, the widely used and well-established Rosenberg scale was used to quantify self-esteem. Socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health-related factors were adjusted for in the regression analysis ( n = 5,485). Results: Multiple linear regressions showed that dog owners reported higher self-esteem scores compared to individuals without pets (β = 0.04, p < 0.05). Similarly, male dog owners reported higher self-esteem scores compared to men without pets (β = 0.07, p < 0.01). In contrast, female cat owners reported lower self-esteem scores compared to women without pets (β = −0.07, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Study findings showed a link between owning a cat and lower self-esteem (women), as well as between owning a dog and higher self-esteem (total sample; men). Future studies should concentrate on investigating the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the link between animal ownership and self-esteem.

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“…However, it must be kept in mind that pets may, under certain circumstances, still improve the owner’s sleep, e.g., among people suffering from anxiety, depression, loneliness, and grief. For instance, in a study involving 340 older adults from China, it was demonstrated that pet engagement eased depression 11 , which can cause sleep problems 12 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between pet ownership and sleep in the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS)

Egmond

Titova

Lindberg

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Preliminary findings suggest that pets may impact the owner’s sleep. By using data from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bIoimage Study (SCAPIS) cohort, we aimed to investigate the association of pet ownership with the following self-reported sleep outcomes in 3788 to 4574 participants: (i) achieving the recommended daily sleep duration for adults (i.e., at least 7 h per day); (ii) sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (a score of > 5 indicating poor sleep quality); and (iii) difficulty falling or staying asleep. Sleep metrics were not associated with pet ownership, dog ownership, and dog walking when controlling the logistic regression for possible confounders (e.g., shift work, lack of social interaction, and chronic stress). In contrast, cat ownership was associated with a higher odds ratio of failing to achieve the recommended duration of 7 h of sleep per day (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]:1.18 [1.02, 1.37] versus non-cat owners). Our findings suggest that certain pet groups might have a more significant impact on the owner’s sleep than others. As the observed association between cat ownership and short sleep duration might be a chance finding, this observation should be seen as hypothesis-generating only.

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Conditions for pets to prevent depression in older adults

Abstract: For preventing depression in older adults, promoting their pet availability and engagement is promising. Particularly, the promotion would be more effective for older adults living with their spouses and being more resourceful than for others.

Cited by 28 publications

References 62 publications

Are stronger bonds better? Examining the relationship between the human–animal bond and human social support, and its impact on resilience

Are stronger bonds better? Examining the relationship between the human–animal bond and human social support, and its impact on resilience

Differences in Self-Esteem Between Cat Owners, Dog Owners, and Individuals Without Pets

Association between pet ownership and sleep in the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS)

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