•  
  •  
 

INTERACTIONS OF PEOPLE AND THEIR PETS**

Abstract

Several studies have achieved contradictory results concerning the effects of pet ownership, some finding pets ameliorate stress, others finding they create more. The present study seeks to quantify the extent of coping and companionate roles are separate or overlap among emerging adults in college. That is, the different roles a pet plays in the life of an emerging adult are assessed through documenting the activities, stressors, and coping responses a pet contributes or alleviates for a student. Preliminary results include 32 adults assessed via Qualtrics on their activities with pets, and standardized scales: A) Brief COPE, B) Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), C) Mental Health Inventory 18, D) Pet Attachment Questionnaire, E) Adult Attachment Scale. The LAPS yielded three primary relationship categories, 1) General Attachment to pets, 2) People substitution with pets, and 3) Animal Rights and Welfare. Married and Coupled subjects reported higher General Attachment to pets (M = 35.4) when compared the mean scores of single subjects (M = 31.11), t (30) = 3.24, p = .003, though no differences were found for People Substitution and Animal Rights. The three subscales related to activities that all subjects engaged with pets. The General Attachment subscale was positively related to the frequency subjects talked to their pets (r(31) = .64, p < .001), hugged their pets (r(31) = .57, p < .001), walked their pets (r(31) = .38, p = .026), played with their pets (r(31) = .63, p < .001), petted their pets, (r(31) = .78, p < .001) and provided treats to their pets (r(31) = .65, p < .001). The patterns of these preliminary results indicate a companionate family role for pets, especially for individuals who are married or in partnered relationships. In the upcoming months, we will collect additional responses and conduct further analyses to produce a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between pet companionship and coping responses in college students.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS