Animals & mental health

Influences of Pets on the Empty Nester Family

anthrozoology — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:01:20 +1000

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?

anthrozoology — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:59:12 +1000

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.

The influence of companion animals on the psychological health of older adults.

anthrozoology — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:12:02 +1100

May, C.

Exploratory Study of Stress Buffering Response Patterns from Interaction with a Therapy Dog

anthrozoology — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:35:39 +1100

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

anthrozoology — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:31:55 +1100

Authors: Duvall Antonacopoulos, Nikolina M.; Pychyl, Timothy A.

Another breed of "service" animals: STARS study findings about pet ownership and recovery from serious mental illness.

anthrozoology — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:43:40 +1100

Wisdom, Jennifer P. Saedi, Goal Auzeen. Green, Carla A.

Use of animal-assisted therapy in the rehabilitation of an assault victim with a concurrent mood disorder.

anthrozoology — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:50:39 +1100

Sockalingam, Sanjeev. Li, Madeline. Krishnadev, Upasana. Hanson, Keith. Balaban, Kayli. Pacione, Laura R. Bhalerao, Shree.

Associations between pet ownership and self-reported health status in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

anthrozoology — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:58:10 +1000

Wells DL.

Animal-assisted therapy - a new trend in the treatment of children and adults.

anthrozoology — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:12:32 +1000

Dimitrijevic, Ivan - Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Center of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. dr.ivan54@yahoo.com

Animal-assisted therapy with farm animals for persons with psychiatric disorders

anthrozoology — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:53:05 +1000

Animal-assisted therapy with farm animals for persons with psychiatric disorders: effects on self-efficacy, coping ability and quality of life, a randomized controlled trial.

Berget, Bente. Ekeberg, Oivind. Braastad, Bjarne O.

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, P,O, Box 5003, NO-1432 As, Norway.

bente.berget@umb.no.

Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH. 4:9, 2008.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) for humans with mental disorders have been well-documented using cats and dogs, but there is a complete lack of controlled studies using farm animals as therapeutic agents for psychiatric patients. The study was developed in the context of Green care, a concept that involves the use of farm animals, plants, gardens, or the landscape in recreational or work-related interventions for different target groups of clients in cooperation with health authorities. The present study aimed at examining effects of a 12-week intervention with farm animals on self-efficacy, coping ability and quality of life among adult psychiatric patients with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses. METHODS: The study was a randomized controlled trial and follow-up. Ninety patients (59 women and 31 men) with schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety, and personality disorders completed questionnaires to assess self-efficacy (Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale; GSE), coping ability (Coping Strategies Scale), and quality of life (Quality of Life Scale; QOLS-N) before, at the end of intervention, and at six months follow-up. Two-thirds of the patients (N = 60) were given interventions; the remaining served as controls. RESULTS: There was significant increase in self-efficacy in the treatment group but not in the control group from before intervention (SB) to six months follow-up (SSMA), (SSMA-SB; F1,55 = 4.20, p= 0.05) and from end of intervention (SA) to follow-up (SSMA-SA; F1,55 = 5.6, p= 0.02). There was significant increase in coping ability within the treatment group between before intervention and follow-up (SSMA-SB = 2.7, t = 2.31, p = 0.03), whereas no changes in quality of life was found. There were no significant changes in any of the variables during the intervention. CONCLUSION: AAT with farm animals may have positive influences on self-efficacy and coping ability among psychiatric patients with long lasting psychiatric symptoms.

Animals &amp; mental health