Abstract
Since the early 80’s many articles have been published describing the positive impact of companion
animals on human health, termed the pet-effect. More recent research however raised doubt about
the unequivocalness of these findings. Several studies failed to report an association between pet
ownership and health or even reported a negative association. A possible explanation for these
inconsistencies is that the pet-effect might not be a universal effect but is associated to specific
contextual factors.
This study examines the pet-effect in daily life and aims at identifying the daily life situations and
contexts that give rise to the positive effect of companion animals. Using the Experience Sampling
Method (ESM), a validated random signal contingent sampling technique, data is collected with high
ecological validity. This entails data on human experiences and behavior in interaction with the daily
environment (including companion animals) as they occur under natural circumstances. This allows
us to study the nature of the interaction with companion animals and the effects of these interactions
on psychosocial functioning (e.g. affect, self-esteem, social interactions) in the flow of daily life. The
pilot study (n=21) presents a proof of concept to the utilization of the ESM in human animal interaction
studies.
The results show that the presence of companion animals is associated with a decrease in negative
affect (P<0.001, B=-0.17) and an increase in positive affect (P<0.001, B=0.36) as well as an increase
in self-esteem (P<0.01, B= 0.16). There was no association between the level of interaction with the
companion animal and affect or self-esteem, or between the level of physical contact and affect or selfesteem. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the ESM in the study of human animal interaction.
The results are promising and indicative of a “pet-effect”. This effect however seems to be brought
about by the presence of the companion animal and not by the activity performed with the companion
animal or the level of physical contact
animals on human health, termed the pet-effect. More recent research however raised doubt about
the unequivocalness of these findings. Several studies failed to report an association between pet
ownership and health or even reported a negative association. A possible explanation for these
inconsistencies is that the pet-effect might not be a universal effect but is associated to specific
contextual factors.
This study examines the pet-effect in daily life and aims at identifying the daily life situations and
contexts that give rise to the positive effect of companion animals. Using the Experience Sampling
Method (ESM), a validated random signal contingent sampling technique, data is collected with high
ecological validity. This entails data on human experiences and behavior in interaction with the daily
environment (including companion animals) as they occur under natural circumstances. This allows
us to study the nature of the interaction with companion animals and the effects of these interactions
on psychosocial functioning (e.g. affect, self-esteem, social interactions) in the flow of daily life. The
pilot study (n=21) presents a proof of concept to the utilization of the ESM in human animal interaction
studies.
The results show that the presence of companion animals is associated with a decrease in negative
affect (P<0.001, B=-0.17) and an increase in positive affect (P<0.001, B=0.36) as well as an increase
in self-esteem (P<0.01, B= 0.16). There was no association between the level of interaction with the
companion animal and affect or self-esteem, or between the level of physical contact and affect or selfesteem. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the ESM in the study of human animal interaction.
The results are promising and indicative of a “pet-effect”. This effect however seems to be brought
about by the presence of the companion animal and not by the activity performed with the companion
animal or the level of physical contact
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 79-79 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
| Event | Exploring Human-Animal Interactions : a multidisciplinary approach from behavioral and social sciences - Barcelona, Spain Duration: 7 Jul 2016 → 10 Jul 2016 https://isaz.net/file_download/inline/0a81a577-1c3a-408a-8152-da73a6d28de4 |
Conference
| Conference | Exploring Human-Animal Interactions |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Spain |
| City | Barcelona |
| Period | 7/07/16 → 10/07/16 |
| Internet address |