The sudden surge in pet ownership during the pandemic was largely attributed to people seeking comfort and companionship from animals to cope with issues such as isolation, anxiety and depression. However, a comprehensive new study, conducted by researchers at Aarhus University and King’s College London, suggests that the benefits of pet ownership may be overstated.
The study by Aarhus University (Denmark) has investigated more than 6,000 adults over a 12-month period to identify the possible benefits of having a pet for mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that, Contrary to common belief, no significant positive effects were demonstrated.
The study, recently published in ‘Mental Health & Prevention’, reveals that Having a pet does not necessarily offer the emotional boost that many people expect. The study followed 6,018 people in the UK over a 12-month period, assessing their levels of depression, anxiety, anhedonia (loss of pleasure) and loneliness.
Contrary to popular assumptions, the study found no evidence that pet ownership improved these mental health outcomes. In fact, pet owners reported slightly worse mental health outcomes compared to non-owners.
“Although the body of research on the topic has been mixed, we were genuinely surprised to find that pet owners overall experienced slightly higher levels of depression, anxiety and anhedonia during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says senior study author Professor Christine Parsons from the Department of Clinical Medicine, Ep reports.
“This contradicts the prevailing public belief that pets are beneficial for mental health.”she adds. Another common belief is that dog owners in particular benefit from increased physical activity and a more structured daily routine, which in turn could lead to better mental health.
Here the researchers found that dog owners were actually more likely to exercise daily (40% compared to 35% of non-owners).
However, this increased activity was not correlated with better mental health outcomes and no significant differences were found between dog owners and non-owners with respect to maintaining a daily structure.
The only area in which pet ownership has mental health benefits is in relation to loneliness. In popular culture, the stereotype of the “cat lady” is that of a lonely, anxious woman with mental health issues. The new study also gave researchers a chance to test some of these cultural assumptions against reality.
Among people living alone, both dog and cat owners reported slightly lower levels of loneliness than those who did not own pets. Although the effects were small, they were contrary to the stereotype of the lonely “cat lady.”
For those living with a partner, family or roommates, pet owners reported no measurable differences in feelings of loneliness.
Although women in the study were clearly more likely to own cats (30.3% compared to 22.7% of men), they were not more lonely, depressed, anxious or anhedonic than men who owned cats.
According to Professor Christine Parsons, this new study will be useful in managing expectations about the mental health benefits of pet ownership. She hopes the results will nuance public perception and media coverage, which she and her team of researchers have shown favours the positive narrative.
“Our findings suggest that while pets can provide companionship, they are by no means a panacea for mental health issues, especially during stressful times like a pandemic,” says Christine Parsons, Ep reports.
