The result of a new investigation, carried out by researchers from the University of York, which concluded that having a Paptoum at home, helped maintain better mental health during confinement due to the COVID-19, was published. The research also revealed that there is a direct relationship between having a Patho and the existence of a smaller feeling of loneliness. Both positive conclusions are associated with any kind of Patho that participants have at home (dog, cat, rabbit, etc.).
The survey looked at some 6,000 participants in the UK, 90 percent of whom revealed to have at least one Patch. pets pet owners showed lower levels of loneliness and better mental health during mandatory confinement due to pandemic, when compared to those who did not have any pets at home.
“ With this study, we also found that the strength of emotional ties with the pets does not differ according to the species, which means that people who were part of the study, on average, feel emotionally connected to their hamster in the same way as, for example, their dog,” says the main author of the study, Elena Ratschen.
Although animals such as horses, dogs and cats initially obtained a slightly higher score on the Comfort Scale given by Company Animals (CCA), these differences disappeared when adjusted for other factors. Researchers think this discovery is important as it gives greater weight to an idea called “social buffering hypothesis.”
In relation to the company given by animals, this hypothesis suggests that the presence of an animal in a social group is more relevant than the characteristic of the species to which that animal belongs. Therefore, with regard to mental health resilience, in the face of a confinement due to COVID-19, a reptile or a hamster, are as useful as a horse or a dog.
“ It is often assumed that the relationship Man – dog occupies a special place with regard to the relationships between man and other animals,” writes researchers in this study. “However, a more critical recent perspective suggests that it may be the adaptability of the dog to work with Man and his sensitivity to human emotions, which may be the basis of his widespread use, in the interventions performed with the assistance of dogs, more than the intrinsic capacity of dogs for this purpose.”
In light of these findings, Ratschen does not suggest that people immediately rush to the nearest pet store in order to buy a pet. She suggests that, although the facts are statistically significant, they may not be clinically relevant.
“ Although our study has shown that being a mentor of a Patho has a mitigation effect on the negative effects of confinement due to COVID-1, it is important to understand that this discovery is possibly devoid of clinical relevance and does not allow any conclusion or suggestion that people should arrange pets in order to protect their mental health during the pandemic,” adds Ratschen.
The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between animal and human beings in the context of mental health vulnerabilities. The observed subjects did not suffer from any pre-existing mental illness, so further studies will have to understand whether the introduction of an animal into a group of patients with known mental disorders may offer some kind of protection to the negative psychological effects of a confinement due to a pandemic.
The study also reveals that tutoring a stepfather may introduce extra anxiety in some cases. Approximately 70 percent of all observed animal pet owners show an increase in the level of concern for the well-being of their Patho during confinement. The restriction of access to veterinary care during confinement was a factor that generated an increased concern among pet owners, when they thought about matters related to the health of their pets.
“ This work is particularly important at this time as it shows that having a pet at home can serve as a buffer against the psychological stress caused by confinement,” comments Daniel Mills, co-author of the study, from the University of Lincoln. “However, it is important that each one of us also understands the needs of his Patho, since the study also showed that a failure in this area has a negative effect, both on the Guardians and their pets.”
This study is published in the academic journal PLOS ONE.
Source: University of York