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Objective To examine potential differences in psychiatric symptoms between parent-bereaved youth (N=172), youth who experienced the death of another relative (N=815), and non-bereaved youth (N=235), aged 11 to 21, above and beyond antecedent environmental and individual risk factors. Method Socio-demographics, family composition, and family functioning were assessed one interview wave prior to the death. Child psychiatric symptoms were assessed during the wave in which the death was reported and one wave before and after the death. A year was selected randomly for the non-bereaved group. Results The early loss of a parent was associated with poverty, previous substance abuse problems, and greater functional impairment before the loss. Both bereaved groups of children were more likely than non-bereaved children to show symptoms of separation anxiety and depression during the wave of the death, controlling for socio-demographic factors and prior psychiatric symptoms. One wave following the loss, bereaved children were more likely than non-bereaved children to exhibit symptoms of conduct disorder and substance abuse and to show greater functional impairment. Conclusions The impact of parental death on children must be considered in the context of pre-existing risk factors. Even after controlling for antecedent risk factors, both parent-bereaved children as well as those who lost other relatives were at increased risk for psychological and behavioral health problems.

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There is conflicting evidence about whether living with pets results in better mental and physical health outcomes, with the majority of the empirical research evidence being inconclusive due to methodological limitations. We briefly review the research evidence, including the hypothesized mechanisms through which pet ownership may influence health outcomes. This study examines how pet and non-pet owners differ across a variety of socio-demographic and health measures, which has implications for the proper interpretation of a large number of correlational studies that attempt to draw causal attributions. We use a large, population-based survey from California administered in 2003 (n = 42,044) and find that pet owners and non-pet owners differ across many traits, including gender, age, race/ethnicity, living arrangements, and income. We include a discussion about how the factors associated with the selection into the pet ownership group are related to a range of mental and physical health outcomes. Finally, we provide guidance on how to properly model the effects of pet ownership on health to accurately estimate this relationship in the general population.

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