Medicosnext
Undoubtedly. the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns and social distancing measures accompanying it has had significant adverse effect on mental health. In the U.S.A., studies showed that there were three times as many people suffering from depression during the pandemic than at normal times. It is well known that social support helps people in reducing stress, besides having beneficial effects on the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. Social support also has a positive effect on the quality of life of people with conditions like asthma, diabetes, and osteoarthritis.
Recently, an observational study by researchers of Nestlé Purina Research in Saint-Louis, Montana, U.S.A., was conducted to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on dog owners’ lives, particularly on their health, lifestyle, and emotions. Social support was defined in the study as involving one or more of the following: 1. an awareness of being cared for, 2. the knowledge of being loved, esteemed, and valued, and 3. the feeling of belonging to a supportive network.
The team of researchers analyzed data from an online survey of 768 dog owners and 767 potential dog owners aged 18 years and over. “Potential dog owners”—individuals who did not own a dog at the time, but wanted one in the future—acted as the control group. The team found that dog owners reported having significantly more social support available to them, as compared to the “potential dog owner” group.
They found that while the two groups had similar anxiety and happiness scores, dog owners had significantly lower depression scores than potential dog owners. The depression scores of the participants who felt that they had low social support were three times higher than the depression scores of those who felt that had high social support. As compared with the control group, dog owners felt that they had more social support and suffered less depression during the pandemic.
Older research has shown that, besides helping in boosting self esteem, having a dog can reduce the risk of death after a cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke, and that dogs can be trained to identify hypoglycemia in people.
