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Pets Impact on Quality of Life, a Case Study
Ellen “Tracy” Thatcher, MSN, ARNP-C, GNP, CHPN

 !
"#$%&##'$$
#(#)*+,*-").
 &/
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
(

# 
0
 
+ 
0 
/
Pets and Medicine
) .1
23 )
 
 4 4
 
)
#

 5  
)  6
7&6 
6 #8999
 #
4)
 4 !Making Rounds With Oscar
  4:,4 
;4 
4<)  
#3
 
Ins%tu%onal Policies and Procedures
 40)7
4=   
 &4 )
) 4
; %
44) 
5)   
 +
) 
.)93

)+>>0
;;
) 

)4
 4
)

   !>
))
 
4$ 

) ) 
?  

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) vs. Animal Assisted Ac%vi%es (AAA)
@*
4"")4&
##)#####) 
.@ ###
! 
!2
 
AB
Culture Transforma%onal Ini%a%ves and Quality Measures
&-
4 &454
)&#
+)

&#
 
$$ $$6
 
&&)
$$$$6+
&
C   D
Cultural Considera%ons
$&4
)& ,# 
    
@
7"
",47
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3?
)>3G6#,#
40H 
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 H 4$ H
66&
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 4
66goyang soju.9 # I
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 4  
 J4  
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8$

)4 
$4
 ) +
 !$ ""#
EBK$(
6 44 /L
H
14#+ 
   H#
 H)
66 6
,+
 M)
 &  
&  

- &
4 #
   
;!
Servant Leadership
- //, 
24!
  )
4 4 44
4 0
)4@ 
4 4 4 
 4,&
!>4 
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References:
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... Pet owners report close bonds with their pets and greater comfort while exploring new environments in their presence (Kurdek, 2008) and during distressing times McConnell et al., 2011). Pets can provide additional benefits such as positive self-esteem (McConnell et al., 2011), increased life satisfaction (Bao & Schreer, 2016), better interaction with community members, promotion of sustainable relationships (Bakerjian, 2014;Meehan et al., 2017), and alleviated feelings of isolation (Noonan, 2008). The benefits of pet ownership are widespread: for example, pet owners tend to have lower levels of perceived stress compared with non-owners in the USA, Jordan, and Mexico (González-Ramírez et al., 2018;Lee & Chai, 2015;McConnell et al., 2011). ...
... Pets are seen as family members by most owners (Bowen, 1993;McConnell et al., 2011McConnell et al., , 2019Serpell and Paul, 2011;Irvine and Cilia, 2017;Laurent-Simpson, 2021;Kogan et al., 2022b; Humane Society of the United States., n.d.), and many view their pets as children (Turner, 2001;Volsche, 2018Volsche, , 2019Owens and Grauerholz, 2019). Numerous studies suggest that pets offer a variety of physical benefits (Kushner et al., 2006;Coleman et al., 2008;McConnell et al., 2011;Power, 2013;Bakerjian, 2014) including improved cardiovascular health (Anderson et al., 1992;Friedmann and Thomas, 1995;Wright et al., 2007;Levine et al., 2013), and increased physical activity (Oka and Shibata, 2009;Lentino et al., 2012). Psychological benefits include improved mental health (Antonacopoulos and Pychyl, 2010;McConnell et al., 2011;Hui Gan et al., 2020), reduced loneliness (Pikhartova et al., 2014) and depression (McConnell et al., 2017), and a source of support and companionship (Hunt and Stein, 2007;Walsh, 2009;Wisdom et al., 2009;Zimolag and Krupa, 2009;Levine et al., 2013;Brooks et al., 2016Brooks et al., , 2018) -even during times of high stress (Young et al., 2020;Bussolari et al., 2021a;Kogan et al., 2021;McDonald et al., 2021b;Phillipou et al., 2021). ...
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Parental guilt, one common subtype of guilt often associated with work-family conflict (WFC), has been found to be associated with depression and anxiety. Because many people view their pets as family members and even children, the current study was designed to explore dog owners’ dog-related guilt and its relationship with depression and anxiety. Through an online anonymous survey, the results of our study suggest that dog owners’ guilt and dog-related WFC are at comparable levels to those reported in human family studies. They are also both significant predictors of depression and anxiety. It is important for mental health professionals to be aware of this disenfranchised guilt and help clients cope in positive ways. Guidance related to self-compassion is offered as one strategy to help pet owners struggling with this common, but often trivialized, source of guilt.
... Indication of the potential benefit that pets convey to the experience of mental health comes from evidence detailing the benefits of pet ownership in relation to stress reduction, improved quality of life, and pets as promoters of social and community interaction. [11][12][13] Recent work done by Power 14 has shed light on the relevance of pets in the social networks of people who have received a diagnosis of a severe and enduring mental health illness (e.g. Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder) suggesting that pets can be considered alongside other human relationships. ...
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Background: Mental health problems are common in the general population with an estimated one in six people in any past week experiencing a common mental health difficulty. Psychological benefits include increased resilience at times of adversity, increased participation in meaningful activities, increased social functioning, increased happiness and hedonic tone, and increased positive self-view and self-agency. Material and Methods: The present study examines depression, anxiety, stress, and anger among pet owners. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted and data from adults (N=185) was collected using two widely used tools, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), and Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992). Results: The ANOVA test showed that there was no significant difference in depression (F = 2.43, p > 0.05), anxiety (F = 2.08, p > 0.05), stress (F = 1.50, p > 0.05), and anger (F = 0.21, p > 0.05) of the participants based on pet ownership.The Pearson's correlation coefficient showed that there was no significant difference in depression, anxiety, stress and anger of the participants based on the number of members in the family and the number of senior citizens in the family. Conclusion: Majority of the participants who had senior citizen(s) in their families were having a pet or were planning to get one in the near future. The study also revealed that majority of the participants who had a pet or planning to get one were living in nuclear families.
... There is evidence that owning a pet can improve human psychological health through the development of strong emotional bonds (2). Having a pet has many benefits in terms of mental health, such as reducing stress, increasing the quality of life, and supporting social interaction (3,4). In a cross-sectional study of pet owners over the age of 13 living in Bangladesh, 140 pet owners and 140 non-pet owners were compared. ...
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Objective: In this study, it was aimed to compare pet owners and non-pet owners in terms of depression, anxiety and quality of life. Methods: A total of 397 healthy volunteers over the age of 18, 192 pet owners, and 205 non-pet owners were included in our study. Sociodemographic data form, World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Short Form (SF-36), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administered to all participants. Results: Of all participants, 60.2% (n=239) were female and 39.8% (n=158) were male. The mean age of pet owners (36.74±9.56) was similar to non-pet owners (35.52±9.16) (p=0.194). The mean depression scores of pet owners (4.39±3.37) were significantly lower than non-pet owners (6.02±3.72) (p
... Our contradictory findings regarding anxiety and depression and different scales of the dog-owner relationship corroborate the existing literature, as some studies find a positive relationship between pet ownership/dog-owner relationships and mental wellbeing (Zimolag and Krupa, 2009;González RamÍrez and Landero Hernández, 2011;Bakerjian, 2014;Wheeler and Faulkner, 2015;Brooks et al., 2016;Mota Pereira and Fonte, 2018;González-Ramírez et al., 2019;Liu et al., 2019;Powell et al., 2019;Hawkins et al., 2021), others a negative relationship (Parslow et al., 2005;Peacock et al., 2012;Bradley and Bennett, 2015;Enmarker et al., 2015;Mueller et al., 2018;Sharpley et al., 2020) and others none (Fraser et al., 2020;Le Roux and Wright, 2020). In our research, the perceived costs subscale consistently showed a lower perceived burden was positively associated with all mental health outcomes, including anxiety and depression. ...
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Dog ownership is believed to benefit owner wellbeing but, contrary to popular belief, there is limited evidence to suggest that simply owning a dog is associated with improved mental health. This mixed-methods study investigates whether dog owners with stronger relationships with their dogs experience better mental health. Participants (n = 1,693, adult United Kingdom dog owners) completed an online survey. Owners’ health was measured using the validated PROMIS questions regarding depression, anxiety, emotional support, and companionship. The dog–owner relationship was measured using the validated MDORS scale, which has three subscales: interaction, emotional closeness, and perceived costs. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for confounding factors. Additionally, positive and negative impacts of dog ownership on mental wellbeing were coded from open questions using thematic analysis. A stronger dog–owner relationship was associated with greater feelings of emotional support and companionship but poorer mental health in terms of anxiety or depression. However, the perceived costs (burden) subscale was consistently associated with better mental health outcomes. Direction of causality cannot be inferred as people with poor mental health may acquire dogs to help relieve symptoms, which qualitative analysis supported. Key themes included positive impacts on owner wellbeing and happiness through providing purpose, companionship and self-acceptance, pleasure and distraction, as well as lessening emotional pain and suffering and reducing risk behaviors. However, negative impacts of a strong relationship include anticipatory grief over loss of the dog, and concerns regarding the burden of responsibility and ability to meet dog’s needs. Perceived ability to adequately meet dog’s needs promoted personal growth and positive relationships with others, whereas perceived inability led to feelings of guilt, or anger/frustration, and reduced autonomy and sense of environmental mastery. Dog ownership contributes to both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing in multiple ways, including supporting owners through periods of poor mental health and providing purpose. However, the burden of responsibility and owner and dog characteristics can create challenges, and owners may benefit from support in caring for their dogs and reducing problematic behaviors.
... The level of interaction with a pet animal has been associated with positive affect, an indicator of emotional wellbeing (Janssens et al., 2020). Furthermore, people form similar bonds or attachments to their pets as they do with other humans (Zilcha-Mano et al., 2011) and these pet attachments have been associated with a range of positive outcomes, including improved quality of life (Bakerjian, 2014). ...
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Contact with animals has been increasingly recognized as being beneficial to mental health and wellbeing due to their therapeutic function, with “animal-assisted therapies” gaining in popularity. There is less research exploring how companion animals within the home impact upon mental health and wellbeing. This qualitative study explores people’s experiences of the role of their pets in reducing or exacerbating their mental health symptomology and general wellbeing. One hundred and nineteen adults, 41 with a diagnosed mental health condition, and 70 recently struggling with their mental health, completed an online survey with open and closed questions to explore their experiences of their pets and mental health. Through thematic analysis, seven key themes were identified. Six themes encompassed benefits of pets; increased hedonic tone; increased motivation and behavioral activation; reduced anxiety symptoms and panic attacks; increased social connections and reduced loneliness; reduced risk behaviors; and coping and aiding the recovery process. One theme encompassed negative impacts: increased negative feelings and emotional strain. Notably, pets reduced urges of self-harm, and prevented onsets of panic attacks and suicide attempts. Both direct mechanisms (e.g., lowering physiological anxiety through physical touch) and indirect mechanisms (e.g., elevating mood through humor, increased mindfulness and disrupting rumination) were identified. These findings encapsulate the complex roles that pets can play in people’s mental health and wellbeing, and highlights that even when the human–pet relationship is regarded positively, pets cannot “treat” mental health difficulties, and should not be viewed as such. Mental health practitioners should be aware and considerate of the importance of pets in people’s lives as well as individual differences in the potential capability of pets to both reduce or exacerbate mental health symptomology and overall wellbeing.
... It is well known that reducing stress and developing encouraging support networks are important in the prevention and management of mental health conditions 62,63 . Pet ownership can achieve this two-fold aim by (i) helping to reduce anxiety and stress levels 44,64 , which are major triggers for mental health conditions, and (ii) promoting social interaction and developing new social supports 65 . However, the realities of owning a pet at a young age may be daunting and unfeasible to most. ...
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Although existing literature increasingly suggests a positive influence of pet ownership on human physical activity levels, results from many European, American, and Japanese studies have been inconsistent. How pet ownership impacts mental health and atopy is likewise controversial and whether distinct demographic subgroups experience differential effects is unclear. This cross-sectional study surveyed participants (n = 823) via a self-administered online questionnaire. Comparisons of outcomes between pet owners and non-pet owners with subgroup analyses were performed within a propensity score-matched subset (n = 566) of respondents. There were no differences in physical activity levels or mental health scores between pet owners and non-pet owners. In subgroup analyses, compared to non-pet owners, main pet caregivers reported 14.1 (95% CI 2.79–25.3) and 19.0 (95% CI 4.70–33.3) more minutes per week of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity respectively and higher SF-36 emotional well-being (β = 2.7, 95% CI 0.100–5.32) and energy scores (β = 3.8, 95% CI 0.410–7.27). Age was a significant effect modifier of the association between pet ownership and emotional well-being, energy and social functioning scores, with greater scores above the ages of 39, 35 and 39 years old respectively (interaction p = 0.043, 0.044, 0.042). Finally, pet acquisition was associated with worsening of allergic rhinitis, while pet ownership cessation was associated with improvement of allergic rhinitis and eczema symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the public health impact of pet ownership in Southeast Asia and its findings add contextual nuance to suggest potential benefits derived from pet ownership.
... As opposed to direct impacts, there is evidence that older pet owners need less medication, have fewer health care visits per year and fewer days in hospital (Heuberger 2017;Ko et al. 2016). Moreover, it was found that dog ownership is a significant predictor of survival one year after a myocardial infarction (Bakerjian 2014), and that it is effective at reducing hypertensive reactivity to mental stress (Chowdhury et al. 2017). Evidence indicates that raising a pet can reflect an elevated level of physical activity, as domestic animals require their owners to engage in many routine duties, encourage mobility, exercise, and contact with nature (Curl, Bibbo, and Johnson 2017;Mein and Grant 2018;Mueller et al. 2018). ...
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There is increasing recognition of the role pets play in the management of mental health conditions. Evidence suggests that pets promote social interaction and provide secure and intimate relationships which support the management of symptoms. This paper aimed to extend this evidence by exploring the phenomenological understanding of relationships and relationality with companion animals as therapeutic agents in the context of people’s wider social networks. A qualitative study was undertaken incorporating 35 interviews with 12 participants with a diagnosis of severe mental illness who identified a pet as being important in the management of mental health. Participants took part in three in-depth interviews centred on ego network mapping over a 12-month period (baseline, 6 and 12 months). A critical discourse analysis examined therapeutic relationships with pets in relation to mental health and compared these to other types of support over time. Summative discourse analyses were combined with a cross-case thematic analysis to look for commonalities and differences across individuals. Compared with interactions with other therapeutic agents, relationships with pets were free from the obligations and complexities associated with other types of network members and provided an extension and reinforcement to an individual’s sense of self which militated against the negative experiences associated with mental illness. Relationships with human network members were more variable in terms of consistency and capacity to manage demands (eg, network members requiring support themselves) and the emotions of others associated with fluctuations in mental health. This study adds weight to research supporting the inclusion of companion animals in the lexicon of mental health self-management through the therapeutic value attributed to them by participants within a wide personal network of support. The findings point to how consideration might usefully be given to how relationships with companion animals can be incorporated into healthcare planning and delivery.
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Animal-assisted therapy improves physiological and psychosocial variables in healthy and hypertensive patients. To determine whether a 12-minute hospital visit with a therapy dog improves hemodynamic measures, lowers neurohormone levels, and decreases state anxiety in patients with advanced heart failure. A 3-group randomized repeated-measures experimental design was used in 76 adults. Longitudinal analysis was used to model differences among the 3 groups at 3 times. One group received a 12-minute visit from a volunteer with a therapy dog; another group, a 12-minute visit from a volunteer; and the control group, usual care. Data were collected at baseline, at 8 minutes, and at 16 minutes. Compared with controls, the volunteer-dog group had significantly greater decreases in systolic pulmonary artery pressure during (-4.32 mm Hg, P = .03) and after (-5.78 mm Hg, P = .001) and in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure during (-2.74 mm Hg, P = .01) and after (-4.31 mm Hg, P = .001) the intervention. Compared with the volunteer-only group, the volunteer-dog group had significantly greater decreases in epinephrine levels during (-15.86 pg/mL, P = .04) and after (-17.54 pg/mL, P = .04) and in norepinephrine levels during (-232.36 pg/mL, P = .02) and after (-240.14 pg/mL, P = .02) the intervention. After the intervention, the volunteer-dog group had the greatest decrease from baseline in state anxiety sum score compared with the volunteer-only (-6.65 units, P =.002) and the control groups (-9.13 units, P < .001). Animal-assisted therapy improves cardiopulmonary pressures, neurohormone levels, and anxiety in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
Special to the Tribune, Dogs Lift Patients' Spirits at Edward Hospital. chicagotribune.com
  • Bob Goldsborough
Bob Goldsborough. Special to the Tribune, Dogs Lift Patients' Spirits at Edward Hospital. chicagotribune.com; July 15, 2009.
Bide-a-weeis Pet Therapy Program Helps Hospice Patients Cope. Farmingdale Observer, www.antonnews.com/farmingdaleobserver
  • Tomeo Jaime
Tomeo Jaime. Bide-a-weeis Pet Therapy Program Helps Hospice Patients Cope. Farmingdale Observer, www.antonnews.com/farmingdaleobserver/2007/05/ 04/pethospice.html; May 4, 2007.
Dogs in China: A Horrific Story of Senseless Cruelty in the Dog Meat Industry
  • Accessed
Accessed May 2009. 10. Dogs in China: A Horrific Story of Senseless Cruelty in the Dog Meat Industry. " Internet source: http://www.squidoo.com/dogsinchina.
Assistant Professor and Nurse Practitioner, Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC E7 Meeting the Challenges: Innovative Hybrid Online-Immersion BSN-to-DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs Vanessa
  • Cooper
  • Fnp-Bc, Acnp-Bc Dnp
  • T Margaret
  • Bowers
  • Fnp-Bc Dnp
  • Aacc
  • Chfn
Cooper, DNP, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, Assistant Professor, Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC E6 Student Reflections on Geriatric Topics to Enhance Transition to Nurse Practitioner Practice Margaret T. Bowers, DNP, FNP-BC, AACC, CHFN, Assistant Professor and Nurse Practitioner, Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC E7 Meeting the Challenges: Innovative Hybrid Online-Immersion BSN-to-DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs Vanessa Kalis, DNP, ACNP-BC, Di-rector, Adult-Gerontologic Acute Care DNP Program, Brandman University, Irvine, CA Teresa Kiresuk, DNP, Director, Adult-Gerontologic Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program, Brandman University, Irvine, CA George Byron Smith, DNP, GNP-BC, CNE, Associate Professor, Brandman University, Irvine, CA E8 Embedding Gerontological Learning Objects into Advanced Practice Nursing Curriculum Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD, GNP-BC,