Ownership of dogs and cats leads to higher levels of well-being and general trust through family involvement in late adolescence

Abstract

IntroductionLate adolescence is a crucial period during which individuals connect with new communities. Furthermore, their mental health has lasting effects on their overall well-being. Involvement with family and the local community plays a significant role in shaping adolescents’ personalities and well-being. Additionally, pets, such as dogs and cats, function as social catalysts and increase interactions with family and the local community. We hypothesized that pet ownership would increase involvement with family and the local community and thereby impact adolescents’ personalities and well-being.MethodsTherefore, this study investigated whether owning dogs or cats was related to well-being through increased involvement with family and local community members in late adolescence. Data were collected via a questionnaire administered to high school and university students. The questionnaire included questions on basic information about adolescents and their families, pet ownership experience, family and local community involvement, well-being, cultural estrangement inventory, and general trust.ResultsStructural equation modeling revealed that adolescent women who owned dogs or cats had higher well-being and general trust through their involvement with their families. Although previous research reported that men who had experienced pet ownership in childhood were more sociable in old age, the effect of pet ownership on men was not observed in this study.DiscussionDuring late adolescence, when individuals experience many connections with new communities, the effects of pets may temporarily decrease. Therefore, future cohort studies should examine the effects of pets on each age group.

Comparative analysis based on shared amplicon sequence variants reveals that cohabitation influences gut microbiota sharing between humans and dogs

“…Domestic dogs are in daily contact with their owners and share their living environments. Regarding mental health, some studies have shown that dog ownership has an impact on improving human wellbeing through changes in physiological functions, such as endocrine regulation (19)(20)(21). Another study reported that the modification of dog microbiota by specific probiotics was reflected in the gut microbiome of children (22).…”