Pet Ownership and Well Being - Lab Report Example

Abstract The research study was concerned with the pet-owners wellbeing and this was compared to non pet-owners and, the key subject to this study was specifically to focus on whether wellbeing can be influenced by the pet type (cat or dog). The relationship between how attached psychological wellbeing is to a pet-owner and this was explored as well. In generally its believed that pets are of great benefit to wellbeing and health, evidence basing on little research done is so minimal to support the idea scientifically. There this study enabled to know if the relationship between the pet ownership and wellbeing is significant. For this study participants included general population members that responded to questions regarding pet attachment and pet ownership this was taken as part of the Australian Wellbeing Index Unity Introduction It’s known that owners of pets consider that the non-humans living with them at their homes to be part of them. Basing on several researches carried out, it is believed that the health of the human inhabitants is improved in the present of an animal. This means that to keep a pet in good shape is of good importance. Overall well being of a Person’s is stress relief and it’s a very important aspect and state of relaxation can be contributed greatly by having a pet in the home. Several Researches shows that an individual level of stress caused by performing a difficult task may be reduced to a greater extend by the mere presence of a beloved pet. Feel-good chemicals found in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin can be released when an individual plays with a pet, these chemicals are responsible for pleasure feelings as well as calmness. Therefore teasing a kitty with a piece of string or playing a game of fetch with your puppy can have lasting effects on your mood and putting a smile to your face. The American Heart Association in 1999 its results on the effects ownership of pet in terms of reduction of stress was shared. The study was done at the State University of New York. There was a group that consisted of 48 stockbrokers, who were suffering from hypertension, they were divided into groups of two; the intervention to one group was adoption of cats or dogs and while the other group didn’t adopt anything. Six months later, group with pets systolic blood pressure shoot from 120 to 126 for this was seen when subjected to stressful situations. The other group that never had the pets went from 120 to about 148, Basing on psychologist, Karen Allen, dwelt on the project, the need for reducing of drugs that stabilizes blood pressure. The blood pressure, heart rate and stress in men, women and children who are undergoing medical tests have been also observed that pet’s presence reduce this. In generally it is believed that pets are of great benefit to wellbeing and health, evidence basing on little research done is so minimal to support the idea scientifically. According to Some studies shows pet owners encounter psychological benefits, including positive moods, greater life satisfaction and higher self-esteem (Wells, 2009, McConnell et al., 2011). There are more symptoms of depression than non pet-owners according to other studies (see Wells, 2009). Effects difference on wellbeing for dog owners as opposed to other pet owners may also be experienced E.g., Siegel (1990) showed that the effect of stress can be buffered by dogs on their owners and that dog owners most time spend playing with their pets and feel attached more to their pets than non-dog owners. According to 1992 Australian study that was an oft-cited showed that pet owner’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease was so minimal as compared to those without pets. According to the study findings pet owners had relatively lower blood pressure, plasma cholesterol and plasma triglycerides, even when factors such as weight, age and lifestyle were taken into consideration. The original’s claims has been challenged by subsequent studies, pet ownership finding show that effect on cardiovascular health is not direct, many believers in the correlation is so pronounced. Studies on heart attack suffers shows that individual with pets at home relatively survive for a longer time than those lacking. Staying motivated to exercise may be due to having a pet. It can be hard to force yourself out the door on your own and off the couch; you’ll be more inclined to get moving if your friend needs to get some fresh air. Getting daily exercise may be a tactic of having a pet that requires walking. Companionship can be offered by pets which can lift an individual’s spirits as well as providing opportunities to meet more friends who are human. Simply walking the dog can create a lot of chances to talk and stop other people out there having their pets. There are online pet shows, pet forums, and other pet-centered hobbies that Pet owners can take advantage of. Having more interaction with our human and animal friends can have a great effect on our mood. Caring for animal and nurture can also poses a sense of purpose. Pet owner experience on adorable animal is that when it curls up in the lap, the little things which get on your nerves throughout the day can’t make you upset, but what? It also seems that pet’s presence helps individuals who are facing life-threatening conditions. Basing on two studies cancer and AIDS patients, respectively, Findings by researchers was that pet ownership reduces depressing feelings and cushions realities which seems to be harsh to the patients with medical conditions. All ages are eligible to benefits of having a pet, but very young and the elderly benefit more. Child responsibility can be inflicted in the pet presence and reduced chances of him or her to develop asthma or other respiratory problems may be a contribution to pet. There are other studies done to determine whether allergy development can develop on children in the presence of a dog or cat in the home. According to majority conclusions, exposure early to pets normally reduce the acquiring chances of allergies as well as developing respiratory complications, since exposure to animals boosts a immune system of the child’s. On the other hand, lonely elderly people do always feel isolated and lonely. This means that looking after a pet as responsibility grants them a sense of purpose and contributes to a more healthy and active lifestyle,. If the responsibility of pet ownership is handled by an old person, there will be much company needed provided and help keep them young at heart. It is believed that the onset of freezing and seizures due to Parkinson’s disease can be predicted by animals. Trained seizure-response or Seizure-alert dogs can be able to detect seizure oncoming at least 45 minutes before its occurrence. Freezing sometimes can be experienced by Parkinson’s patients (the body keeps moving while the feet stay in place, this may result to an individual falling). When freezing occurs it can be sensed by a helper dogs and this may release the individual from the effects. It’s also believed that dogs do alert their owners to hypoglycemia symptoms (low blood sugar) and even, study published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, suggest that diagnosis of lung and breast cancer can be by smell alone. It’s hard for everyone to keep Pets. This is because it requires energy, time and money to keep it healthy, happy and well fed for one to have a dog, cat or other animal in the house. The results could be advantageous to your health if you have the resources to accommodate an animal. For many years, Humans and animals have played a significant role in humans’ lives. This can be referred to as symbiotic relationship. This is seen when we have something to offer the animal and in return the animal has something to offer us both practically and also for companionship too. Thereare several benefits of having a pet, It is both emotional and physical. There has been an increasing attention in previous years that companion animals have contribution to human psychological well-being and interpersonal development (Levinson's 1969, 1972, 1978) work on the role of pets in development of human made scientists to be informed about different consequences that is beneficial of animal-human interaction. While earlier work in this area based on clinical experiences and anecdotal reports, systematically explored companion role of animals has been represented by recent work efforts. Beck, Katcher, and colleagues work (Friedmann, et al., 1983; Beck & Katcher, 1983; Katcher & Beck, 1986; Katcher, Beck & Levine, 1988;Katcher et al., 1983) provided evidence that there is increased relaxation and reduced arousal in both adults and children, mostly in stressful situations us a result of contact and interaction with animal companions (Katcher, Segal & Beck, 1984). Others (Grossberg & Alt, 1984; Baun et al., 1984) identified similar findings. A follow-up study done in a year on coronary heart disease patients, it was found that patients who had a household pet survival rate was better when compared with those without pets (Friedmann et al., 1980). A beneficial health aspect of animal companions has been focused by current investigations to the elderly and, to a lesser extent, on pets’ role in development of childhood. Report by Kidd and Feldmann (1981) showed that pet owners performed better when compared with non-owners on dependability, responsibility, helpfulness, and nurturance, lack of self-centeredness and benevolence measures (Mugford and M'Comisky (1975) it was reported that elderly retirees there was longer survival when given pet birds. In Akiyama et al. (1987) study on widowers it was observed that pet owners had relatively fewer psychosomatic symptoms as compared to those with pets. statistically significant effects of pet ownership on health outcomes has not been demonstrated by others (Ory & Goldberg, 1983; Lago, Knight & Connell, 1983; Lawton, Moss & Moles, 1984; and Robb & Stegman, 1983); however, suggestions on on what they found out is that the animal companionship influence is complex and other elements, like personality characteristics or situational factors might influence it. Health outcomes among the elderly longitudinal investigation,( Lago et al. 1989) indicated that pets effect on health was indirect, meaning, morale was improved by pets, this influenced directly the functioning levels and self-reported health respondents'. (Garrity et al. 1989) it was observed in elderly sample of community respondents pet ownership was not related to depression when one or more confidants were available, but pet ownership was associated with less depression among a recently bereaved subgroup of elderly with minimal confidant support,. Additionally, strong attachment to a pet, as a whole, was associated with less depression. Siegel (1990) it is observed that pets presence served as a moderator of the effect of stressful life events on the elderly health. It has been found that children develop strong ties with their pets in other empirical work; this is mostly seen in dogs and cats. A survey done on 300 children between the ages of 3 and 13, it explored children's attitudes parity by sex, age and pet type, Kidd and Kidd (1985) findings showed that children took their pets as companions and playmates. Children who have no siblings can be motivated in pets keeping for play and care reasons (Siegmund & Biermann, 1988). When Children engage regularly in mutual activities even preadolescent children assume significant caretaking tasks (Davis, 1987a). There is some evidence that increased self-esteem and sociability in children is associated with pet ownership (Covert et al., 1985; Siegmund & Biermann, 1988). Levinson (1972) argued further that when children interact with pets, they can achieve a balance between dependence and independence with his/her family. Covert et al. (1985), however, on the other hand a role of adolescent pet ownership on the family system, did not find pet owners and non owners to differ much on the parent-child quality relationship. Also, it has been found that childhood experience with pets influences individuals' chances to own pets as adults (Serpell, 1981). Poresky et al. (1988) similarly reports on adults' retrospective study findings is that pet bonding during childhood to predict contemporary attitudes toward pets and that the age at which earliest bonding had occurred can affect this relationship. Method A random sample of the Australian population including both females and males was used whether pet-attachment and pet-ownership are associated with wellbeing was explored in this study. For this study participants included general population members that responded to questions regarding pet attachment and pet ownership this was taken as part of the Australian Wellbeing Index Unity. The Australian population a few times each year is normally attracted to this project tracks wellbeing. Phone was used to contact the participants and participation was voluntary. Results 1 There is a significant difference between pet-owners and non pet-owners on psychological Wellbeing with a mean difference of 0.0658 which is between the upper and lower limit of confidence interval 2. There is a significant difference between dog and cat owners on wellbeing of mean difference of 1.3673 which is between the upper and lower limit of confidence interval 3. There is a significant difference between dog and cat owners on pet attachment of mean difference of 4.01123 which is between the upper and lower limit of confidence interval 4. The relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing is that there is low correlation Discussion Basing on the result the significant difference between the pet owners and non pet owners shows that pets play a big role in wellbeing in all aspect this means that pets contribute to a bigger extent in the life of human beings. Basing on several existing research there is support to conclude that human well-being throughout the life cycle can be contributed by companion animals to a large extend, it is also indicated that this relationship is complex and further investigation required. More so additional research needs to be done in which various aspects of pet ownership need to be examined, like pet type and pet-human relationship nature and strength. Furthermore, an area which has not been as systematically examined is the companion role of animals in mediating the stressful impact situations, like having a seriously ill family member, being seriously ill, or experiencing a family member death. References Akiyama, H., Holtzman, J .M. & Britz, W. E. (1986). Pet ownership and health status during bereavement. Omega, 17:187-93. Baun, M.M., Bergstrom, N.F., Lanston, & Thomas, L. (1984). Physiological effects of petting dogs: Influences of attachment. In R.K. Anderson, B.L. Hart and L.A. Hart (Eds.), The pet connection: Center to Study Human-Animal Relationships and Environments, (pp. 162-70). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. Friedmann, E., Katcher, A.H., Lynch, J.J., & Thomas, S.A. (1980). Animal companions and one year survival of patients after discharging from a coronary care unit. Public Health Reports, 95: 307-12. Friedmann, E., Katcher, A.H., Thomas, S .A., Lynch, J .J., & Messent, P.R. (1983). Social Interaction and blood pressure: Influence of animal companions. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 171: 46l-65. Grossberg, J., & Alt, E., Jr. (1984). Interactions with pet dogs: Effects on human blood pressure. Abstract in People, Animals, Environment, 2(2): 20. Garrity, T.F., Stallones, L., Marx, M.B., & Johnson, T.P. (1989). Pet ownership and attachment as supportive factors in the health of the elderly. Anthrozoos, 3(1): 35-44. Katcher, A.H., Friedman, E., Beck, A.M., & Lynch, J.J. (1983). Looking, talking and blood pressure: The Physiological consequences of interaction with the living environment. In A.H. Katcher & A.M. Beck (Eds.), New perspectives on our lives with companion animals, (pp. 351-59). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Katcher, A.H., Segal, H., & Beck, A.M. (1984). Comparison of contemplation and hypnosis for the reduction of anxiety and discomfort during dental surgery. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 27: 14-21. Katcher, A.H., & Beck, A.M. (1986). Dialogue with animals. Translations and Studies College of Physicians, 8: 105-12. Katcher, A., Beck, A .M., & Levine, D. (1988). Reviews and research report: Evaluation of a pet program in prison - the pal project at Lorton. Anthrozoos, 2(3): 175-180 Lago, D.J., Knight, B.L., & Connell, C.M. (1983). Rural elderly relationships with companion animals. Feasibility study of a pet placement program. In A. Katcher, & A. Beck (Eds.), New perspectives on your life with companion animals, (pp. 328-40). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Lawton, M. P., Moss, H., & Moles E. (1984). Pet ownership: A research note. The Gerontologist 208-11. Levinson, B.M. (1969). Pet-oriented Child Psychotherapy. Springfield: Thomas Mugford, R.A., & M'Comisky, J.G. (1975). Some recent work on the psychotherapeutic value of caged birds with old people. In R.S. Anderson (Eds.), Pet Animals and Society. London: Bailliere Tindall. McConnell, A., Brown, C., Shoda, T., Stayton, L., & Martin, C. (2011). Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 1239-1252. Ory, M.G., Goldberg, E.L. (1983). Pet possession and well-being in elderly women. Research on Aging, 5(3): 389-409 Siegel, J.M. (1990). Stressful life events and use of physician services among the elderly: The moderating role of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1081-1086. Wells, D. (2009). The effects of animals on human health and well-being. Journal of Social Issues, 65, 523-543. Winefield, H., Black, A., & Chur-Hansen, A. (2008). Health effects of ownership of an attachment to companion animals in an older population. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15, 303-310. Read More

Six months later, group with pets systolic blood pressure shoot from 120 to 126 for this was seen when subjected to stressful situations. The other group that never had the pets went from 120 to about 148, Basing on psychologist, Karen Allen, dwelt on the project, the need for reducing of drugs that stabilizes blood pressure. The blood pressure, heart rate and stress in men, women and children who are undergoing medical tests have been also observed that pet’s presence reduce this. In generally it is believed that pets are of great benefit to wellbeing and health, evidence basing on little research done is so minimal to support the idea scientifically.

According to Some studies shows pet owners encounter psychological benefits, including positive moods, greater life satisfaction and higher self-esteem (Wells, 2009, McConnell et al., 2011). There are more symptoms of depression than non pet-owners according to other studies (see Wells, 2009). Effects difference on wellbeing for dog owners as opposed to other pet owners may also be experienced E.g., Siegel (1990) showed that the effect of stress can be buffered by dogs on their owners and that dog owners most time spend playing with their pets and feel attached more to their pets than non-dog owners.

According to 1992 Australian study that was an oft-cited showed that pet owner’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease was so minimal as compared to those without pets. According to the study findings pet owners had relatively lower blood pressure, plasma cholesterol and plasma triglycerides, even when factors such as weight, age and lifestyle were taken into consideration. The original’s claims has been challenged by subsequent studies, pet ownership finding show that effect on cardiovascular health is not direct, many believers in the correlation is so pronounced.

Studies on heart attack suffers shows that individual with pets at home relatively survive for a longer time than those lacking. Staying motivated to exercise may be due to having a pet. It can be hard to force yourself out the door on your own and off the couch; you’ll be more inclined to get moving if your friend needs to get some fresh air. Getting daily exercise may be a tactic of having a pet that requires walking. Companionship can be offered by pets which can lift an individual’s spirits as well as providing opportunities to meet more friends who are human.

Simply walking the dog can create a lot of chances to talk and stop other people out there having their pets. There are online pet shows, pet forums, and other pet-centered hobbies that Pet owners can take advantage of. Having more interaction with our human and animal friends can have a great effect on our mood. Caring for animal and nurture can also poses a sense of purpose. Pet owner experience on adorable animal is that when it curls up in the lap, the little things which get on your nerves throughout the day can’t make you upset, but what?

It also seems that pet’s presence helps individuals who are facing life-threatening conditions. Basing on two studies cancer and AIDS patients, respectively, Findings by researchers was that pet ownership reduces depressing feelings and cushions realities which seems to be harsh to the patients with medical conditions. All ages are eligible to benefits of having a pet, but very young and the elderly benefit more. Child responsibility can be inflicted in the pet presence and reduced chances of him or her to develop asthma or other respiratory problems may be a contribution to pet.

There are other studies done to determine whether allergy development can develop on children in the presence of a dog or cat in the home. According to majority conclusions, exposure early to pets normally reduce the acquiring chances of allergies as well as developing respiratory complications, since exposure to animals boosts a immune system of the child’s. On the other hand, lonely elderly people do always feel isolated and lonely.

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