Center for Nursing Research, Kean University, School of Nursing, College of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences, Union, NJ, USA.
Geriatr Nurs. 2012 May-Jun;33(3):194-203. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2011.12.005. Epub 2012 Feb 8.
Pets can play a positive role in the both the physical and psychological health of older adults. This cross sectional study investigated the relationships among loneliness, pet attachment support, human social support, and depressed mood in a convenience sample of 159 pet-owning older women residing in the community. Participants completed loneliness, pet attachment support, human social support, and depressed mood scales. The results supported significant relationships between loneliness, pet attachment support, human social support, and depressed mood. No relationship was found between human social support and depressed mood. Pet attachment support, but not human social support, influenced the relationship between loneliness and depressed mood indicating the importance of pet attachment as a greater form of support in this sample. Clinical and social implications for nurses working with the geriatric population were identified and discussed.
宠物在老年人的身心健康中可以发挥积极作用。本横断面研究调查了 159 名居住在社区中的养宠物的老年女性中孤独感、宠物依恋支持、人类社会支持与抑郁情绪之间的关系。参与者完成了孤独感、宠物依恋支持、人类社会支持和抑郁情绪量表。结果支持孤独感、宠物依恋支持、人类社会支持与抑郁情绪之间存在显著关系。人类社会支持与抑郁情绪之间没有关系。宠物依恋支持，但不是人类社会支持，影响了孤独感与抑郁情绪之间的关系，表明在这个样本中，宠物依恋支持是一种更重要的支持形式。为与老年人群体合作的护士确定了临床和社会意义，并进行了讨论。
