RESUMEN

GeroFit is a gym-based exercise program that promotes health and wellness among older sedentary veterans. The aims of the current study were to determine whether providing a companion dog as an alternative to gym-based exercise would similarly affect whole health outcomes. A total of 15 (n = 15) veterans (62 ± 11 years of age; 13 of 15 >54 years of age) underwent physical function testing, completed global and whole health questionnaires, and wore an accelerometer for 7 days before (baseline) and 3 months after a dog came into their home. The participants completed the Pet Attachment Scale (PAS), Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life (DOQOL), and Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research questionnaires at 3 months. Cardiorespiratory endurance, lower body strength, daily steps, and time spent engaging in moderate physical activity all increased compared to the baseline levels. Body weight decreased among veterans whose body mass index was ≥30 (n = 11). The PAS and DOQOL scores indicated high attachment and positive effects on quality of life after having a dog in the home, with all veterans agreeing that having a dog improved the number of social activities they performed. We conclude that providing a companion dog to veterans not inclined to participate in gym-based exercise is an effective alternative method of promoting health and wellness in this population.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: A health-promoting lifestyle is acknowledged as a 'positive ageing' strategy for older people. The inevitable decline in their social networks may lead to loneliness and subsequently damage their health-promoting lifestyle. Therefore, pet owning has become a popular way for them to alleviate loneliness. However, the attachment resulting from pet ownership may either facilitate or impede older people's ability to counteract the negative effect of loneliness on health-promoting lifestyles, and this effect may only be observed when pet owners have limited human confidants. OBJECTIVES: To identify the role of pet attachment in alleviating the negative impact of loneliness on a health-promoting lifestyle and its supplementary role in the deficiency of social relationships by analysing the correlation mechanism between pet attachment, loneliness and a health-promoting lifestyle. METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were sent to 879 older people (aged ≥60) with pets in China by using a multistage stratified random sampling method. Cross-sectional threshold regression models were established to analyse the nonlinear effects of loneliness on a health-promoting lifestyle and the different threshold effects among different social relationship levels. RESULTS: A single threshold value (0.444) was drawn to determine the action mode of pet attachment on the negative relationship between loneliness and a health-promoting lifestyle. When the level of pet attachment exceeded 0.444, the inhibition of loneliness on a health-promoting lifestyle decreased significantly. Additionally, this threshold effect was evident among older people at different levels of social relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The negative effect of loneliness on a health-promoting lifestyle is alleviated by the single threshold effect of pet attachment. Pet-owner relationships can compensate for a lack of social relationships to some extent and alleviate both an individual's loneliness and its negative effect on a health-promoting lifestyle. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: To alleviate loneliness and promote healthy ageing in older people who lack social relationships, the tailored pet intervention strategies that prioritize 'one health' at the animal-ecosystem interface that consider their different individual levels of social relationship should be developed.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Drawing on the transactional theory of stress, the current study investigates whether employee job insecurity triggers employee behavioral strain reactions (i.e., alcohol use, marijuana use, and cigarette use) and psychological strain reactions (i.e., emotional exhaustion and depression) through stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we integrate social support theory and expect the moderating role of pet attachment support in the above relationships. By collecting two-wave data from 187 employees with pets in the United States, we found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, stress mediated the relationships between job insecurity and predicted behavioral and psychological reactions. Moreover, pet attachment support buffered the relationships between stress and these behavioral and psychological strain reactions (all except cigarette use). Pet attachment support also alleviated the conditional indirect effects job insecurity had on the two types of strain reactions via stress. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of this study.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: In our prior study of 643 children, ages 4-11 years, children with pet dogs had lower anxiety scores than children without pet dogs. This follow-up study examines whether exposure to pet dogs or cats during childhood reduces the risk of adolescent mental health (MH) disorders. METHODS: Using a retrospective cohort study design, we merged our prior study database with electronic medical record (EMR) data to create an analytic database. Common MH diagnoses (anxiety, depression, ADHD) occurring from the time of prior study enrollment to 10/27/21 were identified using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. We used proportional hazards regression to compare time to MH diagnoses, between youths with and without pets. From 4/1/20 to 10/27/21, parents and youth in the prior study were interviewed about the amount of time the youth was exposed to a pet and how attached s/he was to the pet. Exposure included having a pet dog at baseline, cumulative exposure to a pet dog or cat during follow-up, and level of pet attachment. The main outcomes were anxiety diagnosis, any MH diagnosis, and MH diagnosis associated with a psychotropic prescription. RESULTS: EMR review identified 571 youths with mean age of 14 years (range 11-19), 53% were male, 58% had a pet dog at baseline. During follow-up (mean of 7.8 years), 191 children received a MH diagnosis: 99 were diagnosed with anxiety (52%), 61 with ADHD (32%), 21 with depression (11%), 10 with combined MH diagnoses (5%). After adjusting for significant confounders, having a pet dog at baseline was associated with lower risk of any MH diagnosis (HR = 0.74, p = .04) but not for anxiety or MH diagnosis with a psychotropic prescription. Among the 241 (42%) youths contacted for follow-up, parent-reported cumulative exposure to pet dogs was borderline negatively associated with occurrence of any MH diagnosis (HR = 0.74, p = .06). Cumulative exposure to the most attached pet (dog or cat) was negatively associated with anxiety diagnosis (HR = 0.57, p = .006) and any MH diagnosis (HR = 0.64, p = .013). CONCLUSION: Cumulative exposure to a highly attached pet dog or cat is associated with reduced risk of adolescent MH disorders.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Although there is evidence that pets may help individuals facing significant daily stressors, and that they may enhance the well-being of their owners, little is known about the benefits of pets for job performance. Since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, teleworking was a strategy implemented in many countries to reduce the virus widespread and to assure organizational productivity. Those who work from home and who own pets may work close to them. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study aimed to analyze whether positive affect mediated the relationship between telecommuting and self-reported job performance and if psychological and physical closeness to the pet would moderate this relationship in such a way that it would be stronger for those who worked closer to their pet, and who were more emotionally attached to them. For this study, we collected data from 81 teleworkers who did not own pets, and from 320 teleworkers who owned pets. Both answered an online questionnaire. Findings: Results from the study showed the existence of significant differences between those who owned and who did not own pets regarding positive affect and performance, in which those who owned pets reported higher levels of positive affect and self-reported performance and perceived telework more positively. Moreover, positive affect mediated the relationship between telework and self-reported job performance. Furthermore, emotional and physical closeness moderated the mediating effect. This study contributes to a better understanding of the human-animal interaction and how pets can be a personal resource able to change their owners' affective experiences and job performance while they are working from home. The findings demonstrate that telework may be a suitable organizational strategy for pet-owners.

RESUMEN

A growing number of young people tend to regard their pets as their surrogate children, yet research examining the relationship between pet attachment and fertility intention remains scarce. Moreover, individuals' fertility intention is affected by economic resources. Therefore, we conducted two studies to examine the interaction effect of pet attachment and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) on childbearing-aged individuals' fertility intention. In Study 1, we utilized questionnaires to measure Chinese pet owners' pet attachment, subjective SES, and fertility intention. In Study 2, participants' pet attachment was experimentally manipulated by reading articles about the benefits of petkeeping. The results of the two studies consistently demonstrated that the effect of pet attachment on fertility intention was moderated by subjective SES. Specifically, pet attachment was negatively associated with fertility intention when individuals had a high level of subjective SES, whereas this effect disappeared when individuals had low subjective SES. These findings suggest an explanation for why individuals with high subjective SES delay or even opt out of childbearing. The limitations and implications of the current study are discussed.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Attachment is a concept that was developed and researched in developmental psychology in uptake of findings on filial imprinting from ethology. In the present period, however, attachment concepts are increasingly applied to and investigated in animal research, thereby translating back criteria that were established for human infants. It herein appears that findings on filial imprinting are becoming more and more forgotten, whilst basic findings in human infants are not reflected in investigations on attachment in animals. To re-integrate both domains, the present article undertakes the effort in briefly reviewing and recapitulating basic findings in human attachment and recent research on filial imprinting. In specific, replicated were critical roles of the conversion of thyroid prohormone by 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (Dio2) into triiodothyronine (T3) in the regulation of the timing of imprinting learning. Because of the interactions of T3 with oxytocinergic and dopaminergic neurones of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, these findings provide new neuroendocrinological insight for possible relations with both attachment and metabolic sequelae of early life stress. Necessary is a mutual integration of all recent advances in the yet separated fields.

RESUMEN

The aim of the study was to determine if and how emotional attachment to their animal of older-aged (45+) horseback riders affects their physical, psychological and social wellbeing in comparison to dog owners. Overall, 124 individuals 45+ years answered questionnaires about pet attachment and wellbeing. Comparisons were carried out using a general linear model with activity group (rider/dog owner) as the main variable of interest. Horseback riders had no significantly lower pet attachment scores compared to dog owners. Gender differences of pet attachment were found in riders, with women having higher love factor scores. Self-reported mood during activities with the animal was significantly correlated with overall pet attachment, pet love and personal growth by contact with the pet in both, riders and dog owners. We observed no correlation of physical wellbeing during and after the activity with the animal and overall pet attachment in dog owners and horseback riders. Psychological wellbeing during the activity was significantly correlated with overall pet attachment in riders and social wellbeing during the activity in both groups. Recreational horseback riders nearly reach pet attachment scores of dog owners, increasing social and psychological wellbeing in a manner similar to that in dog owners.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Loneliness occurs in people of all ages but can be particularly debilitating in older adults. In this population, there are many factors that enter into the loneliness-loss pathway. The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelations of situational factors, coping, and pet attachment that affect loneliness in 191 older adults who experienced loss over time. Data showed that loneliness was lower among study participants who lived in 55 and over residences than private residences, those who experienced loneliness due to loss, those who reported lower coping, and those who reported higher pet attachment. The results of this study suggest that nurses working with this population need to evaluate loneliness by means of situational factors such as living arrangements. Nurses should also examine the effects of loss over time and discuss coping mechanisms, including the benefit of pet relationships in this vulnerable population. Implications for nursing are addressed.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Policies that state dogs and cats should not be adopted as gifts are prevalent at animal welfare organizations, despite the fact that this belief is unfounded. Denying adopters who intend to give the animals as gifts may unnecessarily impede the overarching goal of increasing the rate of live-releases of dogs and cats from our nations' shelter system. The results of this brief survey show that receiving a dog or cat as a gift was neither significantly associated with impact on self-perceived love/attachment, nor was it associated with whether or not respondents still had the dog or cat in the home. The results from this survey add to a growing body of literature that suggests there is no increased risk of relinquishment for dogs and cats received as a gift.

RESUMEN

Objective: To investigate the relationship between attachment to pets and psychosecial develop-ment of children. Methods: Totally 147 children pet owners from grade 3 to grade 5 were selected from 11 primary schools in Beijing. They were asked to complete the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, Self Description Question-naire, Children's Loneliness Scale, and 2 dimensions of Children Social-life Adjustment Scale. Results: Attach-ment to pets was positively correlated with self-concept, pro-social orientation and living ability of daily life (r=0.47, 0.42, 0.34, Ps < 0.001), and negatively correlated with loneliness (r=-0.28, P <0.01) . Even the variables including study performance, interrelationship and socioeconomic status of family were taken as covari-ares, the higher attach group was better than lower attach group in self-concept, pro-social orientation, living abili-ty of daily life [(163.81±17.81)vs.(138.36±27.71), (46.19±4.25)vs.(40.64±6.93), (39.05±4.17)vs.(33.77±6.51); Ps<0.001] and loneliness [(28.53±11.08)vs.(34.79±10.96); P <0.01].Conclusion: There is apparent relationship between pet attachment and psychosocial development in children.

RESUMEN

Objective:To examine the social support mechanism of pet ownership and pet attachment.Method:A total of 321 pet owners and 418 non pet owners above 40 years in Beijing were measured with questionnaires.Results: (1) Pet ownership showed significant correlations with physical health and life satisfaction.Compared with non pet owners,pet owners had better physical health and life satisfaction (β=0.074;P<0.05,β=0.110;P<0.01).(2)Pet ownership could change the effect of recent life events on the physical health but not on life satisfaction (Z=2.59,P<0.01).(3) Pet attachment showed significant correlations with life satisfaction.The pet owners with more pet attachment had higher life satisfaction.Conclusions:Pet ownership has significant main effect of social support as well as buffering effect of social support.They appear as the significant moderating effects on recent life events and physical health.Pet attachment has significant main effect of social support,and few buffering effects of social support.