Pet ownership and mental health during <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 lockdown

Phillipou, Andrea; Tan, Eric J.; Toh, Wei Lin; Rheenen, Tamsyn E. Van; Meyer, Denny; Neill, Erica; Sumner, Philip; Rossell, Susan L.

doi:10.1111/avj.13102

Cited by 36 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Two studies reported that pet owners perceived that their mental tensions diminished due to the presence of their dog and the ability to walk them in addition to reporting a smaller decrease in mental health and a smaller increase in loneliness during lockdown [12,13]. In contrast, another study found pet ownership to be associated with poorer QoL but not with resilience and loneliness [14]. Multiple reasons could have led to these differences, including different studied populations and contexts (Australia and UK), use of different mental health and well-being scales, and the inclusion of different confounder sets in the final models [12,14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other words, those most affected by the confinement were also the ones who felt more supported by their pets during that time. The impact of pet or dog ownership on mental health has also been assessed since the beginning of the pandemic in Australia and the UK and in a multi-country (Europe, Americas, Asia, and Australia) study [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. These studies found that companion animal owners perceived that their mental health improved due to their dog or the ability to walk them [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association between Pet Ownership and Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadians Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Denis-Robichaud

Aenishaenslin

Richard

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the association between pet ownership and quality of life (QoL), loneliness, anxiety, stress, overall health, and mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic using a One Health perspective. An online bilingual survey was completed by 1500 Canadians in April–May 2021. Socio-demographics, health, QoL, stress and anxiety, loneliness, social support, pet ownership, and attitude towards pets data were collected. Crude and adjusted associations between pet ownership and mental health and well-being indicators were estimated. The 1500 participants were from all provinces and territories, half were women; half of the participants were pet owners by design. The crude association estimates showed that pet owners had poorer QoL, overall health, and mental health than non-pet owners, and were lonelier, more stressed, and more anxious than non-pet owners. Adjusted estimates showed that these associations disappeared with the inclusion of the confounders (socio-economic, demographic, health, and pet-related variables). Our results suggest that there was no association between pet ownership and the mental health and well-being indicators measured in the present study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Pet Ownership and Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadians Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Denis-Robichaud

Aenishaenslin

Richard

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Even though we are aware that dog owners experienced advantages in having a dog by their side, in terms of feeling of loneliness attenuation and, therefore, protection from the development of mental disorders such as depression [5], studies that present only positive outcomes of dog ownership have been targeted on the adult population or, at least, adolescents [5][6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pets during the pandemic era are reported in the literature as having an important role in mitigating loneliness and safeguarding their owners' mental health. This emotional buffering effect is explained by the opportunities that pets give people to touch and feel another living creature in the house, and moreover, the necessity of having to take dogs out for a walk gives the dog owner an opportunity to continue having social interactions with other people in spite of lockdown [5][6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of COVID-19 Lockdown on Children and Their Pets: Dangerous Increase of Dog Bites among the Paediatric Population

et al. 2021

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Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has not only put our national health systems to the test, but it also notably hit the economy, the society and the psychology of the people. Our pets have been subjected to the pandemic related stress too. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the stress induced on domestic dogs resulted in an increase of dog bites in the paediatric population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all patients admitted to our paediatric emergency department for dog bite from January 2014 and December 2020. We compared the total mean dog bites of the years 2014–2019 and the mean number per single month with the respective 2020 data. The bites were divided between bites from family dogs and bites from stranger dogs. Continuous data were analysed using single sample t test while categorical values with chi-squared test, considering statistically significant a p value < 0.05. Results: From January 2014 to December 2019, we recorded a mean of 41 ± 5.9 dog bites (range: 30–46) of which a mean 13 ± 2.6 (range: 10–17) were due to family dogs (32%) and a mean of 28 ± 2.4 (range: 25–31) were due to stranger dogs (68%); the male-to-female ratio was 3:2 and 43% of the injuries concerned the head and face, 26% the lower limbs, 25% the upper limbs, 3% the genitalia and 3% the torso. From January 2020 to December 2020, 30 children were admitted for dog bites: 22 were from family dogs (73%) and 8 from stranger dogs (27%); the male-to-female ratio was 14:11 and 72% of the injuries concerned the head and face, 16% the upper limbs, 8% the lower limbs and 4% the torso. The 2020 data’s higher number of family dog bites compared with the mean of those in the 2014–2019 period was statistically significant (p < 0.01) such as the 2020 data’s lower number of stranger dog bites when compared with the mean number of stranger dog bites in the 2014–2019 period (p < 0.01). Between 2014 and 2019, a mean of 9 ± 2 (range: 6–12) of the wounds needed to be sutured (22%), while 32 ± 3 (range: 28–35) wounds were discharged after application of Steri Strips (78%). On the other hand, in 2020, 21 wounds needed to be sutured (70%), and 9 received just Steri Strips application (41%). The frequency distribution of the treatments required (stitches vs. Steri Strips) between the 2014 to 2019 period and the 2020 period was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The number of family dog bites in children increased in 2020, especially during the lockdown period. Paediatricians should pay a lot of attention now more than ever to educate parents on the importance of always supervising children who are playing with dogs.

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“…The particular areas of concern were similar to those shown in previous studies, around access to veterinary treatment [ 29 ] and effects on animal exercise, activity and otherwise meeting the needs of pets [ 30 ]. One study has suggested that pet ownership during COVID was associated with lower life satisfaction, perhaps because of some of these areas of concern [ 54 ], but the responses from our questionnaire were overall more positive than this, with lower rates of concerns and considerations regarding potentially giving up their pets among our respondents. Numbers of people with concerns and numbers of concerns per concerned person were not different between PwMS and controls, suggesting that having MS did not make people be more likely to have concerns about the effects of COVID-19 on their pet, or to have a greater number of concerns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Pet Ownership and Multiple Sclerosis during COVID-19

Oliver-Hall

Ratschen

Tench

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with lower quality of life, reduced social participation, and decreased self-efficacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has had documented effects on the health and wellbeing of people with and without MS. Previous research has demonstrated the positive impact pets can have for people living with long-term conditions. Objectives: To explore the rates of pet ownership and pet attachment in people living with MS and pet ownership associations with quality of life, satisfaction with social roles, and self-efficacy scores; and to explore the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on people’s perceived relationships with their pets. Materials and Methods: A postal questionnaire was distributed to members of a local MS Register and a control group of people without MS. The questionnaire assessed quality of life, satisfaction with social roles, self-efficacy, the perceived roles of pets, and pet-related concerns experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: No apparent difference in attachment to pets was found between the patient and control groups. Pet ownership and level of attachment were not associated with differences in quality of life or self-efficacy scores in people living with MS. Using multiple regression analysis, pet ownership was associated with a decrease in satisfaction with participation in social roles, but with the estimated effect being small compared to having a diagnosis of MS or being unemployed. Most participants reported that pets had positive roles during the pandemic, and the most reported pet-related concern was access to veterinary treatment. Conclusion: Pet owners both with and without MS reported subjective benefits to their wellbeing from pet ownership during COVID-19, although analysis suggested that pet ownership was associated with a reduction in satisfaction with social roles. The study had several limitations and suggestions are made for future work.

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Pet ownership and mental health during COVID‐19 lockdown

Cited by 36 publications

References 17 publications

Association between Pet Ownership and Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadians Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Association between Pet Ownership and Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadians Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Consequences of COVID-19 Lockdown on Children and Their Pets: Dangerous Increase of Dog Bites among the Paediatric Population

Pet Ownership and Multiple Sclerosis during COVID-19

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