anthrozoology.org
Research in Human-Animal Interaction
Animals & social support
The effects of the presence of a companion animal on physiological arousal and behavioral distress in children
Nagengast, S. L., M. M. Baun, M. Megel, and J. M. Leibowitz.
Journal of Pediatric Nursing, v. 12, p. 323-30, 1997.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the presence of a companion animal on physiological arousal and behavioral distress exhibited by preschool children during a routine physical examination. A within-subject, time-series design was used to study 23 healthy children ages 3 years to 6 years during two physical examinations, with and without a dog. Statistically significant differences were found with greater reductions in subjects' systolic and mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and behavioral distress when the dog was present. Findings support the use of a companion animal in reducing stress experienced by children during a physical examination.
Influences of Pets on the Empty Nester Family
Fu Na & Zheng Richang; Psychology College Beijing Normal University Beijing 100875
Chinese Mental Health Journal Vol 17, Number 8, August 2003
Objective: To investigate the influence of pets on the empty nester. Method: 719 families have been investigated with ADL (activity of daily living) and questions about life satisfaction , 161 of them owned pets. Result: There was no significant difference between pet-owners and others (control) in gender, occupations and family income. The pet owners were younger than the control group. More of them were married, and they have lower education than control group. The pet owners had better mental and physical states than the control. The above differences were significant in statistics. Conclusion: Pet owners are younger, lower educated , their marriages are more stable, and they have better mental and physical states. Further research shall be carried on the respects of social support, life events and pet dependence.
The pet connection: pets as a conduit for social capital?
Lisa Wood, Billie Giles-Corti, Max Bulsara; School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia
Social Science and Medicine 61 (2005) 1159-1173
There is growing interest across a range of disciplines in the relationship between pets and health, with a range of therapeutic, physiological, psychological and psychosocial benefits now documented. While much of the literature has focused on the individual benefits of pet ownership, this study considered the potential health benefits that might accrue to the broader community, as encapsulated in the construct of social capital. A random survey of 339 residents from Perth, Western Australia were selected from three suburbs and interviewed by telephone. Pet ownership was found to be positively associated with some forms of social contact and interaction, and with perceptions of neighbourhood friendliness. After adjustment for demographic variables, pet owners scored higher on social capital and civic engagement scales. The results suggest that pet ownership provides potential opportunities for interactions between neighbours and that further research in this area is warranted. Social capital is another potential mechanism by which pets exert an influence on human health.
Exploratory Study of Stress Buffering Response Patterns from Interaction with a Therapy Dog
Barker, Sandra B.; Knisely, Janet S.; McCain, Nancy L.; Schubert, Christine M.; Pandurangi, Anand K.
An Examination of the Potential Role of Pet Ownership... in the Psychological Health of Individuals Living Alone
Authors: Duvall Antonacopoulos, Nikolina M.; Pychyl, Timothy A.
Social work practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: a national study.
Risley-Curtiss, Christina.
[Development and implementation of Animals-Assisted Therapy in a university hospital]. [Portuguese]
Kobayashi, Cassia Tiemi. Ushiyama, Silvia Tiemi. Fakih, Flavio Trevisan. Robles, Roseli A M. Carneiro, Ieda Aparecida. Carmagnani, Maria Isabel Sampaio.
Survival following an acute coronary syndrome: a pet theory put to the test.
Parker, G B. Gayed, A. Owen, C A. Hyett, M P. Hilton, T M. Heruc, G A.
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW; Black Dog Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 121(1):65-70, 2010 Jan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to revisit findings from previous studies reporting that pet ownership improves outcome following an admission for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHOD: Four hundred and twenty-four patients admitted to a cardiac unit with an ACS completed questions regarding pet ownership in hospital. Rates of cardiac death and readmission were assessed 1 year following hospitalization. RESULTS: Pet owners were more likely to experience a death or readmission following their hospitalization, after controlling for key psychosocial and medical covariates. When dog and cat owners were considered separately, cat ownership was significantly associated with increased risk of death or readmission. CONCLUSION: In this independent study, pet ownership at baseline, and cat ownership in particular, was associated with increased cardiac morbidity and mortality in the year following an admission for an acute coronary syndrome, a finding contrary to previous reports.
Social and Individual Components of Animal Contact in Preschool Children
Wedl, Manuela; Kotrschal, Kurt
Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, Volume 22, Number 4, December 2009
Humans are generally biophilic. Still, for unknown reasons, interest in animals varies substantially among individuals. Our goal was to investigate how differential interest of children towards animals might be related to social competence and personality. We proposed two alternatives: 1) Children may compensate for potential deficits in social competence by resorting to animals, and 2) Socially well-connected children may show a particular interest in animals. We focused on relationships between age, gender, family background, play behavior, personality components, and contact with rabbits in 50 children (22 boys/28 girls; 3 to 7 years of age) at a preschool in Krems/Austria. Data were analyzed using GLM. We found that each one of these variables had significant impact on intensity of engagement with the rabbits. In general, girls, children with siblings, and children without pets were more oriented towards the rabbits than were boys, children without siblings, or pet-owning children. The older the children, the less frequently they occupied themselves with the rabbits but the longer they remained when they did engage them. Furthermore, we found that the more "Confident/Respected" (PCA factor 1) and less "Patient/Calm," "Cheerful/Sociable," and "Solitary" (PCA factors 2-4) the children, the more time they spent in direct occupation with rabbits. Most effects of the investigated variables varied between boys and girls. By and large, our findings support the hypothesis that the "socially competent" children were particularly interested in the animals. Also, children's social styles, as evinced in interactions with peers, were generally reflected in how they interacted with the rabbits.
A review of the human-horse relationship
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
