2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Effects of emotional interaction with pets on well-being among the Japanese elderly
| Project/Area Number |
11610161
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
教育・社会系心理学
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Yokohama National University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
ANDO Takatoshi Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, Yokohama National University, Associate Professor, 教育人間科学部, 助教授 (00202789)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KODAMA Yoshinobu Department of the Science of living, Kyoritsu Women's Junior College, Professor, 生活科学科, 教授 (00108200)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1999 – 2000
|
| Keywords | Pets / Companion animal / Human-animal bonding / Elderly |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
Importance of pets in old age has been gradually acknowledged. However, a few studies focusing on this issue have been conducted in Japan. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of emotional interaction with pets on well-being among the Japanese elderly. Subjects were pet owners (dog and/or cat), ranging in age from 60 to 74 years, living in Metropolitan area. Mail surveys were carried out in 1999 and completed for 552 persons. The response rate was 92.0%. The demographics of pet ownership and quality of emotional interaction with pets (Animal-Human Bonding Scale) were inquired. Well-being was measured by the Japanese version of Geriatric Depression Scale and AOK Loneliness Scale. Multiple regression analyses showed the emotionally close relationships with pets had significant negative effects on depressive states and loneliness when the effects of socio-demographic variables, health status, and social support network were controlled. The results suggested the importance of emotionally close relationships with pets for quality of life in old age.
|
