Pet's benefit depends on person

The power of pets may seem obvious — they’re always glad to see you, provide unconditional companionship, they listen yet impose no judgment or criticism on their people and they give purpose to those who might otherwise be aimless or detached.

Certainly, pets of all shapes and sizes can bring happiness and comfort. Whether it’s the cooing of a caged dove drowning out the silence, the blinking of a lizard sunning itself under a light in an otherwise dark room, colorful fish eagerly swimming to the surface at feeding time, or a slathering of kisses from an exuberant dog … something about having another living creature around can be enormously transformative.

With the positive elements they can bring to one’s life, it’s no wonder humans are drawn to animals as friends and companions. And as society continues to embrace pets, it’s even more logical domesticated animals have started to gain a reputation of being downright therapeutic.

Particularly in recent years, the number of animals cast into therapeutic roles has increased dramatically, as has awareness and intrigue about the positive things they can bring to those who need something to help them overcome barriers to health and happiness.

Nursing homes, schools, rehabilitation and medical facilities, work places, airports, prisons, and other places are introducing trained animals into their environments. Tapping into their innate ability to ease issues such as anxiety and stress or loneliness and help draw people out of their shells, animals are gaining a foothold as emotional buffers in places where their presence would have been deemed inappropriate decades ago.

A natural next step is to assume animal companionship would always have a positive influence and therefore those with a need should own their own pet.

While many studies have been conducted on aspects of the role of animals in various facets of mental health research, lacking is an overall perspective on the value of owned pets to those suffering mental problems, according to a group of British researchers, who, in early February, published work on the topic.

Wondering if answers could be found in existing research, the group, comprised of psychological and mental health researchers from three universities in the UK, worked only with studies peer-reviewed and published in English, which focused on the relationship between domestic animal ownership and diagnosable mental health conditions.

Ultimately, the 17 studies they reviewed consisted of research conducted over a 30-year period.

Scrutinizing each study, the team identified several reoccurring themes that did indeed point to pet ownership as beneficial for folks with mental health conditions.

The positives that appeared repeatedly hinged on an intense connection between pet and owner translating into emotional support, particularly by virtue of a pet’s ability to respond intuitively in times of crisis.

Other benefits found included distraction from symptoms, especially trauma-related, giving those with mental conditions a sense of identity, self-worth and existential meaning along with providing social interaction and emotional nourishment.

However researchers also found pet ownership is not always positive for those with mental health conditions and in some cases can be detrimental. Not only can pets be burdensome, costly or unruly, pet ownership may keep someone from needed activities such as traveling, and the death or loss of a pet can be emotionally catastrophic in amplified ways for those with mental conditions.

As with other research on the benefits of pets, it’s again confirmed that yes, pets can enrich and enhance the life and health of their people, including those with mental conditions — provided the circumstances, personalities and lifestyle are a match.

Sharna Johnson is always searching for ponies. Contact her at: [email protected]