Department of Anthropology, 1791Boise State University, ID, USA.
Evol Psychol. 2021 Jul-Sep;19(3):14747049211038297. doi: 10.1177/14747049211038297.
Fertility rates continue to decline globally amidst the second demographic transition, marked by urbanization, increased educational attainment, and most importantly, a new flexibility in life-course organization. As a result, some individuals are choosing to bring companion animals in the home rather than raising children. The purpose of this study is to explore whether these transitions result in differential companion animal attachment and caregiving behavior in the homes of parents (or those who desire to become parents) and nonparents or childfree "pet parents." A total of 917 respondents completed an online survey via Qualtrics that included demographic questions, the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), and Likert-scale questions designed to probe direct and indirect caretaking behaviors. Nonparents reported more and more to their companion animals, as well as increased investment in . They also reported more on the LAPS. Parents and nonparents reported similar agreement regarding and . I conclude that nonparents' investment in companion animals much like parents invest in children, but in ways that meet species-specific needs. This supports the notion that nonparents may be nurturing companion animals as a trade-off to raising children, but not as a substitute. This is an evolutionarily novel application of parenting strategies in a new, flexible environment.
生育率在第二次人口转变中持续下降，这一转变的特点是城市化、受教育程度提高，最重要的是，人们在生活轨迹的组织上有了新的灵活性。因此，一些人选择在家里养宠物，而不是抚养孩子。本研究旨在探讨这些转变是否会导致父母（或那些希望成为父母的人）和非父母或无子女的“宠物父母”家庭中对伴侣动物的依恋和照顾行为存在差异。共有 917 名受访者通过 Qualtrics 在线完成了一项调查，其中包括人口统计问题、莱克星顿宠物依恋量表（LAPS）以及旨在探究直接和间接照顾行为的李克特量表问题。非父母比父母或无子女的人更频繁地与他们的宠物交流，对宠物的投资也更多。他们在 LAPS 上的得分也更高。父母和非父母对宠物的依恋和相似性的看法相似。我得出结论，非父母对伴侣动物的投资就像父母对孩子的投资一样，但方式不同，满足了物种特定的需求。这支持了非父母可能将养育伴侣动物作为抚养孩子的一种替代，但不是替代品的观点。这是在新的灵活环境中对养育策略的一种进化上的新应用。
