Loneliness and pet ownership among dependent older adults in a Southern European urban context
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Identify the role that pet ownership may play in mitigating feelings of loneliness among dependent older adults, with a particular focus on gender and mobility problems. METHOD: . Logistic regression models assess the associations between pet ownership (dog, cat, or other animal) and perceived loneliness in older dependents. Models are stratified by gender. RESULTS: The analysis highlights that dog ownership and receiving family care are factors associated to lower risk of perceived loneliness, particularly among women. In contrast, the association between pet ownership and loneliness is less clear for men for whom no differences were observed between dog owners, other pet owners and individuals without pets in the outcome measure. Our analyses also reveal that the benefits of dog ownership hold only for old age dependents with mobility impairments. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence that gender, type of pet and mobility are key variables associated to loneliness. These findings underscore the importance of considering dog ownership and family involvement in care strategies to mitigate loneliness among older dependents.
Source: Aging & Mental Health
Institutions: Universitat de Barcelona, Universidad de Zaragoza
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4403552315