scholarly journals The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1882
Author(s):  
Jennifer W. Applebaum ◽  
Camie A. Tomlinson ◽  
Angela Matijczak ◽  
Shelby E. McDonald ◽  
Barbara A. Zsembik
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Behavioral Issues ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Pet Owner ◽  
Large Survey

Pets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (n = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to assess the ways that relationships with pets impacted life during COVID-19. We used thematic analysis to analyze 3671 open-ended responses to three prompts. Reported concerns fell into three major categories: (1) pet-focused (meeting needs of pets; procuring supplies; accessing veterinary care; new and emerging behavioral issues; fate of the pet if owner becomes ill; general safety and well-being), (2) human-focused (issues with working from home; well-being and mental health; balancing responsibilities), and (3) household-focused (disease spread; economic issues). Quantitative analyses showed that the owner’s strength of attachment to their pet, economic resources, and relationship status were associated with the types of concerns expressed. Results from this study indicate that pet owners experienced unique hardships related to changes in everyday life from the COVID-19 pandemic. These hardships should be considered alongside the potential benefits found in other studies in order to manage pet owner expectations, prevent pet relinquishment, and more fully understand multifaceted human-companion animal relationships.

scholarly journals Characterizing Pet Acquisition and Retention During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy L. Hoffman ◽  
Melissa Thibault ◽  
Julie Hong
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Market Research Company ◽  
Research Company ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Pet Owner

In March 2020, Americans began experiencing numerous lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some reports have suggested that pet acquisition and ownership increased during this period, and some have suggested shelters and rescues will be overwhelmed once pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and lifestyles shift yet again. In May 2021, the ASPCA hired the global market research company Ipsos to conduct a general population survey that would provide a more comprehensive picture of pet ownership and acquisition during the pandemic. Although pet owners care for a number of species, the term pet owner in this study specifically refers to those who had dogs and/or cats. One goal of the survey was to determine whether data from a sample of adults residing in the United States would corroborate findings from national shelter databases indicating that animals were not being surrendered to shelters in large numbers. Furthermore, this survey gauged individuals' concerns related to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and analyses examined factors associated with pet owners indicating they were considering rehoming an animal within the next 3 months. The data showed that pet ownership did not increase during the pandemic and that pets may have been rehomed in greater numbers than occurs during more stable times. Importantly, rehomed animals were placed with friends, family members, and neighbors more frequently than they were relinquished to animal shelters and rescues. Findings associated with those who rehomed an animal during the pandemic, or were considering rehoming, suggest that animal welfare organizations have opportunities to increase pet retention by providing resources regarding pet-friendly housing and affordable veterinary options and by helping pet owners strategize how to incorporate their animals into their post-pandemic lifestyles.

scholarly journals The Benefits of Living With Close Others: A Longitudinal Examination of Mental Health Before and During a Global Stressor

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262110533
Author(s):  
Natalie M. Sisson ◽  
Emily C. Willroth ◽  
Bonnie M. Le ◽  
Brett Q. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Protective Function ◽  
The People ◽  
Longitudinal Examination ◽  
Unique Context

For better or worse, the people one lives with may exert a powerful influence on one’s mental health, perhaps especially during times of stress. The COVID-19 pandemic—a large-scale stressor that prompted health recommendations to stay home to reduce disease spread—provided a unique context for examining how the people who share one’s home may shape one’s mental health. A seven-wave longitudinal study assessed mental health month to month before and during the pandemic (February through September 2020) in two diverse samples of U.S. adults ( N = 656; N = 544). Preregistered analyses demonstrated that people living with close others (children and/or romantic partners) experienced better well-being before and during the pandemic’s first 6 months. These groups also experienced unique increases in ill-being during the pandemic’s onset, but parents’ ill-being also recovered more quickly. These findings highlight the crucial protective function of close relationships for mental health both generally and amid a pandemic.

scholarly journals Owning a pet is associated with changes in the composition of gut microbiota and could influence the risk of metabolic disorders in humans.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Arenas-Montes ◽  
Pablo Perez-Martinez ◽  
Cristina Vals-Delgado ◽  
Juan Luis Romero-Cabrera ◽  
Magdalena P. Cardelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Test Score ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Cardiovascular Prevention ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Cardiometabolic Diseases ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Coronary Patients ◽  
Pet Owner

Abstract Background: Pet ownership positively influences clinical outcomes in cardiovascular prevention. Additionally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been previously linked to microbiota dysbiosis. We evaluated the influence of owning a pet and its relationship with the intestinal microbiota.Methods: We analysed the gut microbiota from 162 coronary patients from the CORDIOPREV study (NCT00924937) according to whether they owned pets (n=83) or not (n=79). The pet owner group was further divided according to whether they owned dogs only (n=28) or not (n=55). A 7-item pet-owners test score was used.Results: Patients who owned pets had less risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR=0.462) and obesity (OR=0.519) and were younger (P<0.001) than patients who did not own pets. Additionally, patients who owned dogs had less risk of MetS (OR=0.378) and obesity (OR=0.418) and were younger (P<0.001) than patients who did not own pets. A preponderance of the genera Serratia and Coprococcus was found in the group of owners, while the genera Ruminococcus, an unknown genus of Enterobacteriaceae and Anaerotruncus were preponderant in the group of non-owners. In patients who owned dogs the Methanobrevibacter and two more genera, Coprococcus and Oscillospira, were more common. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the prevalence of MetS and obesity in CVD patients is lower in pet owners, and that pet ownership could be a protective factor against MetS through the shaping of the gut microbiota. Thus, owning a pet could be considered as a protective factor against cardiometabolic diseases.

scholarly journals Understanding How Smallholders Integrated into Pericoupled and Telecoupled Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Dou ◽  
Ramon da Silva ◽  
Paul McCord ◽  
Julie Zaehringer ◽  
Hongbo Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Agricultural Investments ◽  
Smallholder Systems

Increasing connections and influences from near to far have changed social structures, access to natural resources, and essential livelihoods of smallholders (i.e., those with incomes generated primarily from natural resources on small rural properties). However, the potential benefits and negative impacts from these connections to smallholders’ livelihoods and social-ecological effects remain understudied. In this paper, we applied the frameworks of pericoupling and telecoupling (human-nature interactions between adjacent and distant systems, respectively) to systematically investigate how the flows linking smallholder systems to other systems affect their livelihoods, and causing varying economic, social, and environmental effects from case to case. We synthesized 12 cases of smallholder systems around the world that are linked to adjacent and distant systems through flows of goods, people, resources, and/or information. In each case, we summarized smallholders’ agency, i.e., capability on the formation or operation of these flows, and the changes on livelihoods on the economic, social, and environment effects. Results suggest that strong smallholder agency is associated more with positive than negative effects. Smallholders with medium to high agency have greater overall well-being within the area of interest. Smallholders integrated in pericoupled systems often have strong agency. Being spillover systems in an intercoupled system (e.g., large-scale agricultural investments) can often cause negative outcomes unless smallholders have additional pericoupling flows. Our findings suggest one potential approach to ending poverty and increasing well-being for smallholders is creating and increasing pericoupling flows to empower smallholders for desired livelihood and social-ecological outcomes.

Time Use and Well-being, and Large Survey Studies

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan M Smith
Keyword(s):  
Time Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Longitudinal Surveys ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Large Survey ◽  
Retirement Study

This paper reviews several methods for measuring how people spend their time, and how they feel during these different activities, and argues that some of these methods could be well suited for large scale longitudinal surveys. Because time use methods allow for the quantitative assessment of the dynamics of human experience, they provide opportunities to explore numerous research questions that cannot be readily answered with more traditional summary measures of well-being. In the last decade or two, techniques have become available that can capture the dynamics of time use and well-being in ways that also reduce methodological problems such as biased recall. The paper describes several such methods, with a discussion of how they are implemented, and a comparison of their relative strengths and weaknesses. In the final section, the paper describes how the addition of time use measures can enhance national surveys such as the Health and Retirement Study by a) opening new avenues of research, and b) clarifying previous findings from more traditional measures of well being.

scholarly journals Association between pet ownership and physical activity levels, atopic conditions, and mental health in Singapore: a propensity score-matched analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Xian Goh ◽  
◽  
Joel Shi Quan Tan ◽  
Nicholas L. Syn ◽  
Beverley Shu Wen Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Allergic Rhinitis ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Subgroup Analyses

AbstractAlthough existing literature increasingly suggests a positive influence of pet ownership on human physical activity levels, results from many European, American, and Japanese studies have been inconsistent. How pet ownership impacts mental health and atopy is likewise controversial and whether distinct demographic subgroups experience differential effects is unclear. This cross-sectional study surveyed participants (n = 823) via a self-administered online questionnaire. Comparisons of outcomes between pet owners and non-pet owners with subgroup analyses were performed within a propensity score-matched subset (n = 566) of respondents. There were no differences in physical activity levels or mental health scores between pet owners and non-pet owners. In subgroup analyses, compared to non-pet owners, main pet caregivers reported 14.1 (95% CI 2.79–25.3) and 19.0 (95% CI 4.70–33.3) more minutes per week of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity respectively and higher SF-36 emotional well-being (β = 2.7, 95% CI 0.100–5.32) and energy scores (β = 3.8, 95% CI 0.410–7.27). Age was a significant effect modifier of the association between pet ownership and emotional well-being, energy and social functioning scores, with greater scores above the ages of 39, 35 and 39 years old respectively (interaction p = 0.043, 0.044, 0.042). Finally, pet acquisition was associated with worsening of allergic rhinitis, while pet ownership cessation was associated with improvement of allergic rhinitis and eczema symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the public health impact of pet ownership in Southeast Asia and its findings add contextual nuance to suggest potential benefits derived from pet ownership.

scholarly journals A Multilevel Intervention Framework for Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness with Pets

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1869
Author(s):  
Nick Kerman ◽  
Michelle Lem ◽  
Mike Witte ◽  
Christine Kim ◽  
Harmony Rhoades
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Direct Service ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Pet Owners

Approximately one in 10 people experiencing homelessness have pets. Despite the psychosocial benefits derived from pet ownership, systemic and structural barriers can prevent this group from meeting their basic needs and exiting homelessness. A multilevel framework is proposed for improving the health and well-being of pet owners experiencing homelessness. Informed by a One Health approach, the framework identifies interventions at the policy, public, and direct service delivery levels. Policy interventions are proposed to increase the supply of pet-friendly emergency shelters, access to market rental housing and veterinary medicine, and the use of a Housing First approach. At the public level, educational interventions are needed to improve knowledge and reduce stigma about the relationship between homelessness and pet ownership. Direct service providers can support pet owners experiencing homelessness by recognizing their strengths, connecting them to community services, being aware of the risks associated with pet loss, providing harm reduction strategies, documenting animals as emotional support animals, and engaging in advocacy. By targeting policies and service approaches that exacerbate the hardships faced by pet owners experiencing homelessness, the framework is a set of deliberate actions to better support a group that is often overlooked or unaccommodated in efforts to end homelessness.

scholarly journals Commitment and Attachment to Pet and Emotional Well-Being Among Low-Income Pet Owners

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 114-114
Author(s):  
Ke Li ◽  
Fengyan Tang ◽  
Mary Rauktis
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Pet Attachment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Negative Feelings

Abstract Pets play an important role in older adults’ lives, as people treat pets as their companion and family members. Owning a pet has been believed to be beneficial; however, previous literature demonstrated mixed results of the effects of pet on people’s well-being. Using data collected from 392 food pantry users in Pittsburgh, this study examined the relationships of pet ownership, attachment and commitment with emotional well-being, and investigated whether sociodemographic profiles conditioned those relationships. emotional well-being was assessed by global mental health, positive functioning, perceived negative feelings, and perceived positive feelings. Commitment to pet was measured by a 10-item scale adapted from the Miller-Rada Scale about the likelihood of giving up pet under various difficult circumstances. Attachment to pet was measured by the 23-item Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale about emotional ties to pet. About two-thirds of respondents (66%) were pet owners. Multiple regression analysis showed that pet owners perceived fewer positive feelings (e.g. happy, joyful) than non-pet owners. However, among pet owners, a higher level of pet attachment was associated with more positive feelings. Gender and education significantly moderated the effects of pet ownership on emotional well-being, as male and employed respondents were more likely to benefit from owning a pet. Moreover, the positive effects of attachment and commitment to pet were stronger among respondents with higher levels of education or in the labor force. future studies need to investigate how to promote the benefits of pet companion and address the challenges faced by low-income pet owners.

scholarly journals Owning a Pet Is Associated with Changes in the Composition of Gut Microbiota and Could Influence the Risk of Metabolic Disorders in Humans

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2347
Author(s):  
Javier Arenas-Montes ◽  
Pablo Perez-Martinez ◽  
Cristina Vals-Delgado ◽  
Juan Luis Romero-Cabrera ◽  
Magdalena P. Cardelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Test Score ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Cardiovascular Prevention ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Cardiometabolic Diseases ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Coronary Patients ◽  
Pet Owner

Pet ownership positively influences clinical outcomes in cardiovascular prevention. Additionally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been previously linked to microbiota dysbiosis. We evaluated the influence of owning a pet and its relationship with the intestinal microbiota. We analyzed the gut microbiota from 162 coronary patients from the CORDIOPREV study (NCT00924937) according to whether they owned pets (n = 83) or not (n = 79). The pet-owner group was further divided according to whether they owned dogs only (n = 28) or not (n = 55). A 7-item pet-owners test score was used. Patients who owned pets had less risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR = 0.462) and obesity (OR = 0.519) and were younger (p < 0.001) than patients who did not own pets. Additionally, patients who owned dogs had less risk of MetS (OR = 0.378) and obesity (OR = 0.418) and were younger (p < 0.001) than patients who did not own pets. A preponderance of the genera Serratia and Coprococcus was found in the group of owners, while the genera Ruminococcus, an unknown genus of Enterobacteriaceae and Anaerotruncus were preponderant in the group of non-owners. In patients who owned dogs, Methanobrevibacter and two more genera, Coprococcus and Oscillospira, were more common. Our study suggests that the prevalence of MetS and obesity in CVD patients is lower in pet owners, and that pet ownership could be a protective factor against MetS through the shaping of the gut microbiota. Thus, owning a pet could be considered as a protective factor against cardiometabolic diseases.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard
Keyword(s):  
School System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sociocultural Adaptation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
German School ◽  
Transcultural Adaptation

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

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