Falck Ryan S, Liu-Ambrose Teresa, Noseworthy Matthew, Kirkland Susan, Griffith Lauren E, Basta Nicole E, McMillan Jacqueline M, Raina Parminder
Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 29;13:961067. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.961067. eCollection 2022.
COVID-19 has negatively affected the mental health and well-being of adults, and thus it is important to examine potential factors which may influence mental health during the pandemic. We thus examined the association between pet ownership and depression/anxiety symptoms based on mental health disorder status during the COVID-19 pandemic. We included 12,068 cognitively healthy participants (45-86 years at study entry) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) comprehensive cohort who completed the first follow-up ([FU1]; 2015-2018), and COVID-19 Survey entry (April-May 2020) and exit (September-December 2020). Participants self-reported at FU1 if they owned a pet (yes/no). Participants were dichotomized as with or without a mental health disorder based on self-reported diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or mood disorders at baseline assessment (2011-2015) or FU1. Depressive symptoms were indexed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) at FU1, and COVID-19 entry/exit surveys. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) at COVID-19 entry/exit surveys. Final models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, income, education, living status, smoking status, relationship status, and alcohol intake. Forty-percent of participants owned a pet at FU1. Among those without a mental health disorder, there were no significant differences in CESD-10 between participants who owned pets compared with those without pets. For people with a mental health disorder, pet owners had higher CESD-10 (estimated mean difference range: 0.56-1.02 points; < 0.05) and GAD-7 scores (estimated mean difference range: 0.28-0.57 points; < 0.05) at both COVID-19 entry and exit surveys. Among people with mental health disorders, pet ownership was associated with poor mental health symptoms during April 2020 to December 2020 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
新冠疫情对成年人的心理健康和幸福产生了负面影响，因此，研究在疫情期间可能影响心理健康的潜在因素非常重要。我们基于新冠疫情期间的心理健康障碍状况，研究了养宠物与抑郁/焦虑症状之间的关联。我们纳入了来自加拿大老龄化纵向研究（CLSA）综合队列的12068名认知健康参与者（研究开始时年龄在45-86岁），他们完成了首次随访（[FU1]；2015-2018年）、新冠疫情调查的进入阶段（2020年4-5月）和退出阶段（2020年9-12月）。参与者在FU1时自行报告是否养宠物（是/否）。根据基线评估（2011-2015年）或FU1时自我报告的抑郁、焦虑或情绪障碍诊断，将参与者分为有或没有心理健康障碍两类。在FU1以及新冠疫情调查的进入/退出阶段，使用10项流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CESD-10）对抑郁症状进行评分。在新冠疫情调查的进入/退出阶段，使用广泛性焦虑障碍问卷（GAD-7）评估焦虑症状。最终模型对年龄、性别、体重指数、收入、教育程度、生活状况、吸烟状况、恋爱状况和酒精摄入量进行了调整。在FU1时，40%的参与者养宠物。在没有心理健康障碍的参与者中，养宠物的参与者与不养宠物的参与者在CESD-10上没有显著差异。对于有心理健康障碍的人，在新冠疫情调查的进入和退出阶段，养宠物的人CESD-10得分更高（估计平均差异范围：0.56-1.02分；<0.05），GAD-7得分也更高（估计平均差异范围：0.28-0.57分；<0.05）。在有心理健康障碍的人群中，在2020年4月至12月的新冠疫情期间，养宠物与较差的心理健康症状有关。
