Relationship between pet ownership and risk of high depressive symptoms in adolesence and young adulthood
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| Category | Journal Articles |
|---|---|
| Abstract |
BACKGROUND: Only few longitudinal studies with high risk of bias have examined relationship between pets and adolescents' mental health. METHODS: Our prospective cohort study followed depression-free US adolescents aged 12-18, enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study from pet ownership assessment in 1999 to possible occurrence of high depressive symptoms defined based on the McKnight Risk Factor Survey between 2001 and 2003. Propensity-score-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using generalized estimating equation models. RESULTS: Among 9631 adolescents [42.4 % male, mean age 14.9 years (SD 1.6)], we found no association between pet ownership and risk of high depressive symptoms (OR(any_pet) = 1.14; 95%CI, 0.95-1.38). Stratified analyses revealed no evidence of effect modification by sex, but effect modification by maternal history of depression (depressed mothers OR(any_pet) = 0.83; 95 % CI: 0.58-1.19, non-depressed mothers OR(any_pet) = 1.27; 95 % CI: 1.02-1.58; P(intx) = 0.03), which differed further by children's sex. Effects were more pronounced among children with a history of childhood abuse (OR(any_pet) = 0.41 (0.14-1.15); P(intx) ≤0.03). No major differences by type of pet owned were observed in any of these analyses. LIMITATIONS: Our sample is predominantly white and all are offspring of nurses with a similar academic background which could affect generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found no association between pet ownership and depression during adolescence, however subgroup analyses indicated some individuals may benefit from a pet. Future longitudinal studies with more detailed exposure assessments, including pet attachment are needed to further explore the potential of human-animal interaction on mental health. |
| Date | 2023 |
| Publication Title | J Affect Disord |
| ISBN/ISSN | 0165-0327 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.070 |
| Author Address | Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: nhess@channing.harvard.edu. |
| Additional Language | English |
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