Longitudinal Associations Between Pet Relationship Quality and Socio-Emotional Functioning in Early Adolescence.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disclosure) predicted trajectories of loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. Results indicated that high satisfaction with a pet relationship was associated with more favorable trajectories, but companionship (i.e., regarding frequency of interacting with the pet) was not related significantly to socio-emotional functioning. High levels of disclos

SUBMITTER: Mueller MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10906745 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature