Three Things to Know
Despite the prevalence of pet ownership in the U.S., its impacts are not always clear. A survey of over 300 youth investigated the influence of pet ownership and attitudes toward pets on prosocial behavior, empathy, depressed mood, and delinquency.
Findings revealed that youth attitudes toward pets, rather than pet ownership itself, were stronger predictors of socioemotional outcomes, particularly empathy and delinquency.
Positive attitudes were most strongly linked to higher empathy and lower delinquency, while associations with prosocial behavior and depressed mood were weaker or non-significant.
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
This study contributes to the growing body of research on how pet ownership influences child development. It particularly highlights to dog welfare organizations that attitudes toward pets, rather than mere ownership, are crucial for fostering positive child development. Recognizing that shaping attitudes is more challenging than simply imparting knowledge, these organizations should prioritize education initiatives that offer repeated exposure for children. After-school homework clubs or summer camps are examples of promising programs to consider.
The Full Picture
Pet ownership is widespread in the U.S., especially among families with children, and pets often play significant emotional roles in children’s lives—sometimes more than extended family or even siblings. Despite this, research on the impact of pets on child development is limited and inconsistent. The inconsistencies may stem from varied measurement tools, small and homogenous sample sizes, and a lack of control for demographic variables such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Additionally, few studies explore whether the impact of pets differs across diverse subgroups.
To address these gaps, this study, titled “Associations Between Pet Ownership and Attitudes Toward Pets With Youth Socioemotional Outcomes”, examines the effects of pet ownership and attitudes toward pets on multiple socioemotional outcomes in a large, diverse sample of youth aged 8-19. It aims to answer four key questions:
- Are attitudes toward pets more strongly related to youth outcomes than pet ownership?
- Do these effects apply across different socioemotional domains?
- Are these effects influenced by demographic factors?
- Do they differ across various subgroups of youth?
Study Methods
The study included a final sample of 342 youth aged 8-19, drawn from a larger community sample in the Chicago area. Participants were assessed during a 3-4-hour lab visit at the University of Chicago, which collected the following information:
- Demographics: Age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES)
- Pet Ownership: Current and past pet ownership, focusing on dogs and/or cats
- Attitudes Toward Pets: Measured using the Pet Attitude Scale-Modified (PAS-M), an 18-item questionnaire rated by youth.
The study also measures the following four categories of outcome:
- Prosocial Behavior: Rated by caregivers using the Child Social Behavior Scale.
- Empathy: Self-reported by youth using the 15-item Social Attitudes Scale
- Depressed Mood: Self-reported via the 20-item CES-D scale.
- Delinquency: Measured by youth self-report of 16 behaviors.
Study Results
The average age of the youth was 14 years, with an even gender split and a racially diverse sample (63.2% minority youth). Most lived with their biological mothers, and SES ranged widely. In total, 59.1% of youth lived with a dog or cat (46.5% dogs, 21.3% cats), while 40.9% were classified as non-owners (no pets or only small pets).
Notably, minority youth and lower-SES families were significantly less likely to own pets. They also reported less positive attitudes toward pets. Attitudes were more favorable among younger youth and those from higher SES families. Pet owners had more positive attitudes than non-owners.
- Attitudes Matter More than Ownership: Youth attitudes toward pets were stronger predictors of socioemotional outcomes (especially empathy and delinquency) than pet ownership itself. Pet ownership effects became non-significant when demographic factors were controlled.
- Empathy and Delinquency Most Affected: Positive attitudes toward pets were most strongly associated with higher empathy and lower delinquency. Weaker or non-significant associations were found for prosocial behavior and depressed mood, potentially due to measurement limitations and low base rates of depression.
These results were consistent across demographics, suggesting that the benefits of positive attitudes toward pets are broadly applicable.
Conclusion
The study underscores that emotional connections with pets—not just owning them—may modestly benefit youth socioemotional development, particularly empathy and behavior. However, more rigorous and diverse research is needed to deepen understanding and clarify causal pathways.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2018
External Link:
Jacobson KC and Chang L (2018) Associations Between Pet Ownership and Attitudes Toward Pets With Youth Socioemotional Outcomes. Front. Psychol. 9:2304. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02304