Mueller Megan K, Callina Kristina S, Richer Amanda M, Charmaraman Linda
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, 200 Westboro Rd., North Grafton, MA 01536.
Lynch Research Associates, 1 South Ave., Natick, MA 01760.
Soc Dev. 2024 Feb;33(1). doi: 10.1111/sode.12718. Epub 2023 Oct 18.
Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disclosure) predicted trajectories of loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. Results indicated that high satisfaction with a pet relationship was associated with more favorable trajectories, but companionship (i.e., regarding frequency of interacting with the pet) was not related significantly to socio-emotional functioning. High levels of disclosure to a pet were linked with less favorable trajectories for loneliness and depression, but not related to social anxiety. These results suggest that a pet relationship can, in some cases, be associated positively with socio-emotional development, but that there is significant complexity in these associations. Families, educators, and practitioners should take a nuanced approach to understanding individual adolescent-pet relationships as a contextual asset for specific youth.
青少年时期是社交情感技能发展的关键时期，在此期间，与伴侣动物的关系可能是情感支持和恢复力的一个潜在来源。本研究使用了来自美国东北部940名养宠物青少年的纵向数据，这些数据在四个时间点收集。我们评估了宠物关系质量（以关系满意度、陪伴感和情感表露为指标）是否能预测孤独感、社交焦虑和抑郁的发展轨迹。结果表明，对宠物关系的高度满意度与更有利的发展轨迹相关，但陪伴感（即与宠物互动的频率）与社交情感功能并无显著关联。向宠物大量表露情感与孤独感和抑郁的不利发展轨迹相关，但与社交焦虑无关。这些结果表明，在某些情况下，宠物关系可与社交情感发展产生积极关联，但这些关联存在显著复杂性。家庭、教育工作者和从业者应采取细致入微的方法，将个体青少年与宠物的关系理解为特定青少年的一种情境性资产。
