Kerns Kathryn A, Dulmen Manfred H M, Kochendorfer Logan B, Obeldobel Carli A, Gastelle Marissa, Horowitz Alexandra
Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University.
Psychology Department, Barnard College.
Soc Dev. 2023 Feb;32(1):98-116. doi: 10.1111/sode.12622. Epub 2022 Jun 20.
Relationships with pet dogs are thought to provide substantial benefits for children, but the study of these relationships has been hindered by a lack of validated measures. Approaches to assessing the quality of children's pet dog relationships have tended to focus on positive relationship qualities and to rely on self-report questionnaires. The aim of this study was to develop and test multiple measures that could be used to assess both positive and negative features of children's relationships with pet dogs. In a sample of 115 children ages 9-14 years who were pet dog owners, we assessed six qualities of pet dog relationships: Affection, Nurturance of Pet, Emotional Support from Pet, Companionship, Friction with Pet, and Pets as Substitutes for People. All qualities were assessed with child questionnaires, parent questionnaires, and child daily reports of interactions with pets. We found substantial convergence in reports from different observers and across different measurement approaches. Principal components analyses and correlations suggested overlap for many of the positive qualities, which tended to be distinct from negative relationship qualities. The study provides new tools which could be used to test further how relationships with pets contribute to children's development.
人们认为与宠物狗的关系能给孩子带来诸多益处，但对这些关系的研究因缺乏经过验证的测量方法而受到阻碍。评估儿童与宠物狗关系质量的方法往往侧重于积极的关系特质，并依赖自我报告问卷。本研究的目的是开发并测试多种可用于评估儿童与宠物狗关系的积极和消极特征的测量方法。在115名9至14岁拥有宠物狗的儿童样本中，我们评估了宠物狗关系的六个特质：喜爱、对宠物的照料、来自宠物的情感支持、陪伴、与宠物的摩擦以及宠物作为人的替代品。所有特质均通过儿童问卷、家长问卷以及儿童与宠物互动的每日报告进行评估。我们发现不同观察者的报告以及不同测量方法之间存在显著的一致性。主成分分析和相关性分析表明，许多积极特质存在重叠，且往往与消极关系特质不同。该研究提供了新的工具，可用于进一步测试与宠物的关系如何促进儿童的发展。
