Chances are that if you were to take a survey of the people walking around a school, grocery store, or coffee shop you would meet several individuals who share their household with a beloved pet. The decades-long debate of whether you are a “dog person” or a “cat person” still stands as a relevant topic of conversation. People love their animals and consider them a part of the family, but how do animals influence our mental health? Do we owe animals our gratitude for being a source of comfort and support? One thing is for sure, the human/animal bond is an important one.
Pet Ownership and Benefits
According to a 2023 survey in America, half (50%) of respondents have a dog, 35% share their home with a cat, and 31% live pet-free. About 3% of respondents own other pets such as fish, birds, turtles, etc. Among those surveyed, a large majority (86%) agreed that having animals has a mostly positive effect on their mental health. Both dog owners and cat owners share this belief, at 87% and 86%, respectively, while other pet owners are less likely at 65%. A large majority (88%) of pet owners said their pets were a part of the family.
As for those who agreed that sharing a household with a pet has a positive impact on one’s mental health, the following benefits were cited:
Helps reduce stress and anxiety (69%)
Provides unconditional love, companionship, and support (69%)
Provides a calming, soothing presence (66%)
Are genuine friends (63%)
Between cat owners and dog owners, cat owners were more likely to say that their pets provided a soothing presence, companionship, and helped to reduce stress and anxiety, whereas dog owners were twice as likely as cat owners to say their pet motivates them to be physically active.
Potential Stressors of Pet Ownership
When questioned with how much they worried about different stressors involving their pets, 71% of pet owners are most concerned with the stress of their pets getting older or passing away, and 66% of pet owners are most concerned with the stress of their pets’ health conditions. Also, 56% of pet owners worried about making travel arrangements, while 58% of pet owners were concerned about healthcare related expenses.
Animals in Mental Health Care
Animals play a supportive role in mental health care. Each role can be categorized into four areas:
Emotional Support Animal (ESA). An animal of any species that provides supportive care and affection to a person with a verifiable mental illness. For individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), animals—especially dogs—provide a sense of comfort, motivation, and positive self-image. A therapy session with a dog present has proven helpful for depression sufferers by increasing engagement with therapy, reducing anxiety that may interfere with the therapeutic process, and improving executive functioning.
Animal-assisted activities. Animals, typically therapy dogs, that are trained and registered to interact with the public for social, motivational, and recreational purposes. Therapy dogs will often accompany their handlers and volunteer at various locations, such as hospitals, schools, and retirement facilities.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT). A health care professional incorporates the use of a specially trained animal for the purposes of creating goal-directed therapeutic interventions with patients. AAT, which commonly uses therapy dogs or equine therapy, has been shown to improve social functioning, communication, and the relationship between therapist and patient.
Assistance or service dogs. Dogs trained to perform a variety of tasks and assist individuals with disabilities. There are three types of dogs that fall under this category: guide, hearing, and service dogs. Service dogs used for psychiatric purposes are different from ESAs because they are specifically trained to carry out tasks to assist individuals with a psychiatric disorder, such as bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.
Small animals have been equally important in maintaining good health. A recent study showed that teenagers with diabetes who cared for fish were better at monitoring their blood sugars. The group of teens—all with type 1 diabetes—were given the tasks of feeding, checking water levels, and changing the tank water of pet fish.
As the teens cared for the fish, they were asked to review their blood sugar logs with their parents. Researchers then tracked how the teens managed to monitor their blood glucose. Compared with teens without pet fish to care for, the teens with pet fish were more disciplined about checking their blood glucose levels. This study shows that taking care of animals benefits us by motivating us to take better care of ourselves as well.
Animals Make Us Better Humans
It seems to be highly rewarding to share our lives with animals. The benefits of animals certainly appear to outweigh the stressors, so consider adopting a pet or volunteering at your local animal shelter if the reciprocal relationship between humans and animals sounds worthwhile. Your mental health may be better for it.
Sources:
Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board
Commentaires