Pet Attachment and Anxiety and Depression in Middle-Aged and Older Women.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how attachment to pets can alleviate depression and anxiety offers valuable insights for developing preventive and therapeutic strategies, particularly for those with insecure attachment styles from childhood trauma. To determine if a close bond with a pet is associated with reduced depression and anxiety, especially among women who experienced childhood abuse. This cross-sectional study involved women who voluntarily enrolled in the Mind Body Study (MBS), a substudy of the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS2) focusing on psychosocial factors. Women reporting childhood abuse were oversampled to capture their psychosocial distress in adulthood. MBS participants were invited to complete comprehensive online questionnaires, which were administered twice (March 2013 and February 2014).

SUBMITTER: Zebrowska M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11294964 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature