Animal companions have long enriched our lives, and for some, have become an integral part of the family. According to the 2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, there has been a consistent increase in pet ownership over the last couple of decades, such that 68%, or 84.6 million, U.S. households own a pet; 48% of which own dogs and 38% own feline companions. Research suggests that owning a pet or being treated with animal-assisted therapy (AAT) may provide social and physical benefits to humans. For this literature review, we will explore the major findings of AAT and pet-related research over the last several decades with an emphasis on the physiological effects and social support benefits of owning canine companions.
Literature Review
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Social Health Benefits of Pet Ownership and Animal-Assisted Therapy. Social support is characterized as a person’s perception that they are valued, cared for and loved by others, and companionship support fosters a sense of belonging (Wills, 1991). Perhaps one of the most important things to humans and our well-being is our ability to network, to form sustainable, long-lasting relationships with others.
Establishing friendship or a sense of camaraderie is critical to our overall fitness and one’s health may suffer if they are not getting adequate social support. Hawkley and Cacioppo (2010) drew parallels between loneliness and the physical sensations of hunger, thirst, and even pain when a person is faced with being disconnected socially. In fact, ongoing research in the areas of loneliness and social isolation have consistently shown that those who are chronically lonely may suffer from a variety of health consequences such as cardiovascular problems, accelerated aging, and even earlier mortality to name a few (Caspi et al., 2006; Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2007). One such study by Caspi and colleagues (2006) illustrated the consequences of just how impactful …show more content…
lack of socialization can be to an adult’s health if they had experienced loneliness at key developmental periods. They discovered that feelings of loneliness and social isolation in childhood and adolescence increased the risk of poor cardiovascular health in adulthood (i.e., elevated BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and low maximum oxygen consumption). However, it is important to distinguish between situational and chronic loneliness seeing as greater health risk concerns point to a loneliness accrual effect over time. While both types can be devastating to one’s health, it has been found that chronically lonely individuals are at slightly greater mortality risk than those that are situationally lonely (Shiovitz-Ezra & Ayalon, 2010). Feelings of loneliness usually motivate an individual to seek new social connections or rekindle old ones, but there are some who may find it quite difficult to form bonds with others due to various factors including personal or physical factors that limit their mobility.
This is where having an animal companion would be beneficial, not only does the animal itself provide a form of friendship but it may facilitate interactions with others. For example, studies have observed that upon acquiring a service dog, adults in wheelchairs had more social interactions than those without a service dog (Hart, Hart, & Bergin, 1987; Eddy, Hart, & Boltz, 1988). These researchers found that in a public scenario where a handicapped individual would likely be ignored, owning a service dog promoted more positive social attention such as smiles and conversation from strangers. Another study found similar results in that others were more likely to acknowledge disabled children (i.e., friendly glances, smiles, and conversation) when in the presence of a service dog (Mader, Hart, & Bergin, 1989). Seniors, especially those living alone, may also benefit from the company of a canine companion to help keep them active and engaged with their community. A telephone survey conducted by Wood and colleagues (2014) collected data about pet owners, their types of pets, and if they had formed friendships with others as a result of having an animal companion. Findings of the survey revealed that dog owners
were more likely to know people in their neighborhood and to consider people friends if they had met them because of their dog. It was also reported that 40% of pet owners received one or more different types of social support from people they met through their pet (i.e., appraisal, informational, tangible, and emotional support). While the previous study does not focus directly on service animals, it should be noted that highly trained service dogs for the elderly might be an even better option than a regular pet since they would be trained to alert neighbors in the event their owner needs immediate emergency assistance. Another area of research that is still currently developing is that of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and animal visitation for nursing home residents. Banks and Banks (2002) examined the effect that AAT with a dog had on loneliness for elderly residents in long-term care facilities. Results showed a marked decrease in loneliness scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale between those that received AAT once per week, three times per week, or no AAT as the control. Although, there was no significant difference between those that received AAT once or three times per week. This seems to suggest that only having a human-animal interaction (HAI) once per week is still enough to help residents combat feelings of loneliness. A second study by Banks and Banks (2005) revealed loneliness scores were only significantly decreased if the AAT sessions were conducted on a one-to-one basis instead of pairing AAT with group socialization. The importance of investigating AAT cannot be stressed enough due to ever-accumulating research that suggests the effects of loneliness stretch far beyond physical health risks and into the realm of impairing normal cognitive function. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to higher risk of Alzheimer’s (Wilson et al., 2007), personality disorders (Richman & Sokolove, 1992), and unsurprisingly suicidal ideation (Chang et al., 2017).
Some medical professionals do not believe that mental health patients can benefit from therapy dogs and go as far as saying it is a risk far as to say that it is a to the patient and compromise the patients ability to take care of the dog. When people who suffer with mental health issues qualify to get a therapy dog. The mental health patient is tested to see if they are capable of taking care of the dog. Those in need of assistance should use therapy dogs frequently do to the part of the benefits to using these pets to improve mental and emotional health as and physical health. Therapy dogs are beneficial to people who suffer from mental health issues by providing companionship as well as support. Some people with mental health issues have a hard time trusting others and need someone to talk to; Service dogs are important because to make they people with mental health problems feel better and help people with these disorders deal with their emotions.
Several studies have examined the effects of dog ownership on people's physical and mental health. Dog ownership produces considerable health benefit and provides social support that encourages dog owners to walk (Cutt et al.2007 ). Pet owners appear to have lower systolic blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels(Anderson et al 1992). Pet owners with serious mental illness living in the community demonstrate higher social community integration(Zimalog and Krupa 2009). Socially excluded participants who performed in the presence of a dog report higher mental well-being compared with socially excluded participants who did not work in the presence of a dog (Nilüfer et al 2012). Although there is evidence suggesting that dog ownership can improve people's physical and mental health, there is little research documenting the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy, especially on elderly patients with dementia, who have dif...
Several studies also asserted that loneliness is correlated with aging itself (Tijhuis et al, 1999; Victor et al, 2000) and that there was a gradual increase in loneliness up to the age of 90 (Holmen, 1992). This increasing trend can be attributed to interactions with other factors due to additive nature of risk factors for loneliness and social isolation (Victor et al, 2000).
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
Winkler, A. et al. "The Impact of a Resident Dog on an Institution for the Elderly: Effects on Perceptions and Social Interactions." Gerontologist. 29 (1989): 216-23.
Animal-assisted therapy is often confused with service dog; it is two completely different type of usage of animals, which usually are dogs. It is commonly misunderstood because animal-assisted therapy and service dog are working animals with individuals with disability although according to (Hart-Cohen, 2009) service dogs is when an individual with disability is in need of help in order to function in daily life such as answering the door, crossing the street and the list goes on. While animal-assisted therapy animals are trained to offer comfort companionship, and affection to those in need in different situations such as courtrooms, nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and other places (Hart-Cohen, 2009). The point of animal-assisted therapy is to be available in specific situations to offer comfort to individuals. In order to become an assisted animal, the animal must undergo training, to receive a certified to prove that the animal is qualified to be able to control his or her behavior and is able to work with an...
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), which can be provided in a group or individual settings, is designed to promote improvement in a human’s physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function. An article by Chitic, Rusu, and Szamoskozi (2012) provides an analysis in order to determine the value of AAT. Both dogs and horses that were trained for AAT were examined and studied to determine their effectiveness in treating patients with psychological disorders. The results showed that both therapy dogs and horses were valuable aids to the therapeutic process. The analysis suggests that proper training and repeated sessions were necessary for proper treatment of patients. In addition, certain disorders may benefit more than others in regards to AAT. For example, a child with ADHD may not benefit from a therapy dog’s presence, for it may worsen the hyperactive symptoms. On the other hand, a patient with depression may benefit greatly from the same animal (Chitic, Rusu, Szamoskozi, 2012). These findings are a perfect starting point to answering the research question: Do patients who engage in AAT display a betterment in their overall emotional well-being, as well as show improvement in their interpersonal interactions...
Tomaka, J, Thompson, S & Palacios, R 2006, ‘The relation of social isolation, loneliness, and social support to disease outcomes among the elderly’, Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 359-384.
In today’s world, more people are socially isolated than ever. “Americans are far more socially isolated today than they were two decades ago, and a sharply growing number of people say they have no one in whom they can confide, according to a comprehensive new evaluation of the decline of social ties in the United States” (Vedantam 1). Some effects of social isolation are very severe just as doctor Khullar suggests, “A wave of new research suggests social separation is bad for us’. Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones”. (Khullar 2). He has even personally seen the many problems people go through because of this, “Every day I see variations at both the beginning and end of life: a young man abandoned by friends as he struggles with opioid addiction; an older woman getting by on tea and toast, living in filth, no longer able to clean her cluttered apartment. In these moments, it seems the only thing worse than suffering a serious illness is suffering it alone” (Khullar 1). He also suggests that this epidemic starts in the early stages of life, “These effects start early: Socially isolated children have significantly poorer health 20 years later, even after controlling for other factors” (Khullar
Each; amongst other significant changes in lifestyles, can leave a sudden gap in correlation to the relationship experienced before this change (Ind, J. 2015). This experience of fleeting loneliness is natural and a form of self-preservation as indicated by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) (2013) in Neighbourhood approaches in loneliness, describing it as a “natural appetite, like thirst and hunger, prompting us to take action, to seek company”. Although this form of transient loneliness can be deemed self-preserving, longstanding persistent loneliness is significantly damaging both physically and mentally. Lunstad et al (2010) indicates the effects of suffering from chronic loneliness are comparable with mortality risk factors in smokers and exceed those of obesity. Older people are particularly susceptible to health problems, adding their vulnerability to loneliness the damaging effects of this can have a serious impact on their health (NHS, 2015). When considering an older person there is a presumption their loneliness is simply due to their children leaving, or losing their partner. There is perhaps an acceptance that this is a natural consequence of aging, Kar- Purkayastha, I, (2010) eloquently portrays this phenomenon in the essay, An epidemic of loneliness. Based on the experiences whilst working in a
Loneliness is a complex and unpleasant feeling also a anxious feeling. Loneliness can be caused by lack of connection or communication. It is sometimes called a social pain (“Emotion”). Some say it’s caused by a physical absence of meaningful people. Things that can come out of loneliness is self-destructive behavior, life-threatening health, weight gain, and heart disease. A way to fix loneliness is by pet therapy with involves animals like dogs, cats, and rabbits (“Emotion”). People with loneliness could have poor sleep quality, anxiety, or obesity. Unstable marriages can cause loneliness. “ Loneliness has been linked with depression, and is thus a risk factor for suicide”, (“Emotion”). Don’t let lonely people struggle alone. Some people who are lonely might go to Bora Bora for social
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.
Cacioppo expands on pain of loneliness since it alerts damage to human beings social body. In fact, isolation is a rival to social existence, even though it is growing within humankind. Loneliness is dangerous for the fact that it increases defensiveness. Another evidence for social factor being closely mixed with biological is that loneliness odds for dying early are higher than even for air pollution, obesity and excessive alcohol drinking. But it remains unclear as to why it is so.
al., 2013). In the meta-analytic review conducted by Hold-Lunsted, individuals who were physically socially isolated, perceived loneliness, and lived alone were 26%-32% had an “increased likelihood of mortality” and that those under the age of 65-years-old were more affected than those 65 or older by the objective/subjective isolation (Hold-Lunstand et. al., 2015). In relation to Scott and Davenport’s novel, this describes how isolation from reconnection can harbor physical detriments and helps to support mindful social