The Beginning, the End, and All the Happiness in Between: Pet Owners’ Wellbeing from Pet Acquisition to Death

Brkljačić, Tihana; Sučić, Ines; Lučić, Lana; Tkalić, Renata Glavak; Lipovčan, Ljiljana Kaliterna

doi:10.1080/08927936.2020.1694313

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Investigating successful aging in older adults, one study reported that dog ownership was positively associated with psychological wellbeing indicators [ 114 ]. Still, most research on pet ownership and happiness and related concepts such as quality of life, wellbeing, or life satisfaction found no differences between pet owners and non-pet owners [ 58 , 106 , 115 – 118 ]. Our study found no link between dog ownership and anxiety and happiness scores.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Martin¹,

Bachert²,

Snow³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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Major life events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affect psychological and physiological health. Social support, or the lack thereof, can modulate these effects. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to better understand how dogs may provide social support for their owners and buffer heightened symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression and contribute to happiness during a major global crisis. Participants (768 pet dog owners and 767 potential pet dog owners) answered an online survey, including validated depression, anxiety, happiness psychometric scales, attitude to and commitment towards pet, and perceived social support. Potential pet dog owners were defined as individuals who did not own a dog at the time of the survey but would be very or extremely interested in owning one in the future. Dog owners reported having significantly more social support available to them compared to potential dog owners, and their depression scores were also lower, compared to potential dog owners. There were no differences in anxiety and happiness scores between the two groups. Dog owners had a significantly more positive attitude towards and commitment to pets. Taken together, our results suggest that dog ownership may have provided people with a stronger sense of social support, which in turn may have helped buffer some of the negative psychological impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Martin¹,

Bachert²,

Snow³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…Dog ownership is associated with increased physical activity, reduced stress levels, companionship, social support, and increased social interactions with people [3], although not all beneficial effects have been replicated. Although less well described, there are also negative consequences of dog ownership, such as the detrimental effect of a pet's death on owner wellbeing [4], the development of allergies and asthma [5,6], and an increased risk of dog bites, especially among children [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectations Versus Reality: Long-Term Research on the Dog–Owner Relationship

Bouma

Vink

Dijkstra

2020

Animals

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In the framework of the early prevention of problems in the owner–dog relationship, it is important to have a broad perspective on the development of this relationship over time, starting before people actually acquire a dog. People who currently (or previously) own(ed) a dog can rely on their experiences when considering a new dog, while this knowledge is unavailable to first time dog-owners. In this study, we explore how self-efficacy, social comparison, perceptions about the (dis)advantages of ownership and commitment to the dog (so-called social cognitive factors), problematic canine behaviors, perceived costs, and satisfaction with the dog change over time. We examine changes from the motivational phase of relationship development (before acquisition of the dog) into the experience phase (six and twelve months after acquisition of the dog). We explore if patterns are different in experienced (previous (n = 73) and current (n = 80)) versus unexperienced (first time (n = 30) dog owners. The respondents filled in three online questionnaires—once before and twice after acquisition of their dog. From T0 (before acquisition of the dog) to T1 (having the dog for six months) participants (especially those with no ownership experience) had to adjust their perceptions about dogs and dog ownership. Experiencing the relationship for an additional year (from T1 to T2) barely changed the social cognitive factors, satisfaction, and perceived costs. A small decline in problematic canine behaviors was present among the experienced dog owners between T1 and T2. To conclude, perceptions about dogs and dog ownership change over time, but after testing these perceptions with reality, they become stable after about six months.

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“…Overall, participants indicated that their pets were important to them and contributed to their wellbeing. However, (quantitative) scienti c research investigating the relationship between pet ownership and wellbeing is incongruent (e.g., 24,25,26). Nonetheless, some evidence suggests a positive relationship between a higher quality of attachment to a pet and its owner's wellbeing (24).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Roles of Pets in Long-Term Care at Home: A Qualitative Study

Reniers

Leontjevas

Declercq

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Pets play very important roles for older adults. However, whether the same roles apply to pets of care clients receiving long-term care at home (LTCH) is unclear. This study aimed primarily to explore whether the roles of pets for LTCH-clients who own pets are comparable to the roles of pets for older adults in the general population. Furthermore, we explored potential pet-related problems that might be encountered in LTCH in practice, and the potential influences of pet ownership on caregiving relationships. These insights may help improve long-term care services in LTCH.Methods This project started with a study using the Consensual Qualitative Research method (CQR). We conducted semi-structured interviews based on themes from our previous review (e.g., Relational Aspects, Emotional Aspects, and Social Aspects). Secondly, a LimeSurvey questionnaire was used to confirm the findings from the CQR study by calculating Content Validity Index scores (in SPSS 26) regarding contents, relevance, and clarity. The questionnaire also included open-ended questions on potential pet-related problems and their impact on caregiving relationships for LTCH-clients, family caregivers, and professional caregivers.Results The CQR study found that the roles pets play for LTCH-clients (N = 8), family caregivers (N = 10), and professional caregivers (N = 10) were similar to the roles pets play for older adults in the general population. The LimeSurvey confirmed most of the CQR findings. In the questionnaire, LTCH-clients (N = 4), family caregivers (N = 8), professional caregivers (N = 8), and researchers in human-animal studies and in geriatric care (N = 5) reported various potential problems that could arise from pet ownership by LTCH-clients, such as clients with deteriorating health being forced to part with their pets. Participants also reported potential positive and negative effects of pet ownership on caregiving relationships, such as pets being a nice topic of conversation, or, conversely, a source of disagreement in the LTCH context.Conclusions The roles pets play for LTCH-clients seem comparable to the roles pets play for older adults in the general population. In addition, LTCH-clients might experience pet-related problems specific to the LTCH context. Pets may influence caregiving relationships, either positively or negatively. Therefore, instruments and guidelines are needed to account for pets in LTCH.

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The Beginning, the End, and All the Happiness in Between: Pet Owners’ Wellbeing from Pet Acquisition to Death

Cited by 14 publications

References 31 publications

Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Expectations Versus Reality: Long-Term Research on the Dog–Owner Relationship

The Roles of Pets in Long-Term Care at Home: A Qualitative Study

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