Animal companionship and psycho-social well-being: Findings from a national study of community-dwelling aging Canadians

Abstract

A growing body of evidence has provided support for the beneficial impact of human-animal interactions on a range of biological, social, and psychological outcomes for humans; however, less is conclusively known about the association between animal companionship and psycho-social health specifically among aging populations. In this study, we assessed the association between animal companionship and psycho-social well-being in a large sample (N = 30,865) of community dwelling Canadians aged 45 and older. Using cross-sectional data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging, we conducted hierarchical multiple regression to assess the relationship between animal companionship and four domains of psycho-social well-being (satisfaction with life, loneliness, depression, and levels of social support) after controlling for socio-demographic factors and psycho-social measures. Results indicate that those with animal companionship report significantly higher levels of social support than aging Canadians without animal companionship; however, animal companionship was also associated with significantly lower levels of life satisfaction and higher levels of both loneliness and depression. These findings complicate the existing literature on human-animal interactions by suggesting the benefits associated with animal companionship may vary across distinct domains of psycho-social health. As such, results from this study highlight the need for more nuanced model specifications when assessing the relationship between animal companionship and psycho-social well-being. Implications of these findings for the provision of social services to older adults with pets are provided.