Estudio de la vinculación que tienen los niños y niñas escolares con sus perros y los efectos socioemocionales de este vínculo

Abstract

Estudio de la vinculación que tienen los niños y niñas escolares con sus perros y los efectos socioemocionales de este vínculoThe bond between school-age children and their dogs, and the socioemotional effects of this bond ResumenEstudios internacionales avalan los beneficios de la tenencia de mascotas en la calidad de vida de los niños, sin embargo, en Chile no hay investigaciones sobre este tema. Por eso, el objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la vinculación que tienen los niños y niñas escolares con sus perros y los efectos sociemocionales de este vínculo, específicamente en relación al autoconcepto y percepción de apoyo social. Aparecen diferencias con resultados de investigaciones internacionales, ya que no se observa una diferencia significativa en autoconcepto o percepción de apoyo social entre niños con y sin perro. No obstante, aparece como significativo el que niños con un autoconcepto más bajo en popularidad muestran un vínculo más cercano con sus mascotas que aquellos que se perciben como populares.Palabras clave: vínculo con mascotas, escolares, autoconcepto y apoyo social. AbstractNumerous international studies have proved that owning a pet can enhance the quality of life of school-age children; however, there have been no such studies in Chile. The objective of the present study is to analyzes the bond between school-age children and their dogs, and the socioemotional effects of such bond, in particular as it relates to self-identity and the perception of social support. Some differences appear in the results of international studies, in the sense that no significant difference can be observed in terms of self-identity or perceived social support between children who own a dog and children who don't. However, it is significant that children who perceive themselves as unpopular have a stronger bond with their pets than those who perceive themselves as popular.

Perception of Animal Abuse among Adolescents: Influence of Social and Demographic Factors

“…In that sense, Collins and McNicholas (1998) found that children consider their pets to be close family members, not only because they live in the same house, but also because of the functions they perform [ 19 ]. In fact, children who develop a bond with their pets have higher scores in empathy, self-esteem and self-knowledge than those who do not have pets [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. In addition, pet ownership promotes the development of trust, responsibility and compassion, among other qualities [ 23 ].…”

“…For this reason, a possible explanation is found for the data obtained in the analysis of the adolescent study, in which those who did not have pets were more likely to use violence to train their supposed pet than those who had animals at home. Understanding pets as members of the family [ 22 ], the bond that children develop with their pets is particularly strong in families with multiple dysfunctional factors, such as social disadvantage, poverty or poor parental education, as well as crime and substance abuse [ 24 ]. In fact, many authors show that those children who experience family or animal violence are most likely to have been exposed to some additional type of abuse, suggesting the presence of a violent family environment [ 25 ].…”