Brief Report: Presence of a Dog, Pet Attachment, and Loneliness among Elders

The present study examines the relationship between pet attachment and loneliness in the elderly and asks whether both vary as a function of choosing to have a dog present or absent during an experimental session. Pet therapy has positive effects for elderly residents in different institutional and non-institutional settings. For instance, Williams and Jenkins (2008) suggested that pet therapy has a positive effect on psychosocial well being and may reduce loneliness. Pet visitation has also been found to be associated with more positive evaluations by nursing staff of the patients' attitudes toward both the staff and other residents (Wallace & Naderman, 1987). In addition, Friedman and colleagues (2007) found a reduction in diastolic blood pressure among elders when in the presence of a dog. Banks and Banks (2010) found that animal assisted therapy reduced loneliness among nursing home residents, and that the desire to have animal assisted therapy was highly correlated with previous pet ownership. Pet attachment may moderate the relationship between ownership and loneliness. Zasloff and Kidd (1994) assessed pet ownership, pet attachment, and loneliness among female students who lived either alone or with others, and either did or did not own a pet. There were no significant differences between pet owners and non-pet owners on either loneliness or attachment, but women who lived alone with no pets were significantly lonelier than all other groups. Duvall Antonacopulus and Pychyl (2010) concluded that adults who lived alone and had high levels of social support appeared to benefit the most from dog ownership. Pet owners living alone who were highly attached to their pets and who had low levels of social support were lonelier than pet owners with low levels of pet attachment. We hypothesized that: 1) elderly persons who chose to have a dog present as opposed to those who chose not to have the dog present would have higher scores on the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale and experience less loneliness as indicated by the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and 2) elderly persons who currently own pets would have higher pet attachment scores and experience less loneliness than elderly persons who do not currently own a pet. METHOD Participants Participants were 68 persons * living in two local retirement communities with an age range of 55 to 94 years and a mean age of 79.74 (SD = 7.12). There were 50 females (74.6%) and 17 males (25.4%). Participants were all Caucasian, with the exception of one individual who self-identified as a Native American. Thirty-four participants (50.7%) were widowed, 28 (41.8%) were married, three (4.5%) never married, and two (3%) divorced. Forty two individuals lived alone, while 25 lived with another person. Eleven participants lived alone with a pet, and ten lived with another person and a pet. Procedure Participants were told that there would be an interviewer in the room with a small dog (Shitzu), and that the interviewer would give the participant the choice of having the dog leave the room or remain in the room during the test situation. Participants were then taken to the test room and introduced to the interviewer, who was holding the dog. Participants who elected to have the dog in the room were asked to hold the dog in their lap while the interviewer asked background questions about his/her age, ethnic identity, marital status, and living situation. Responses included living entirely alone (no other person or pets), living alone but with a pet, living with another person and no pet, and living with another person and a pet. If the participant did not elect to have the dog remain the room, the interviewer took the dog to the researcher outside the room before collecting the background information. After collecting the background information, the interviewer took the dog and held it while the participant was asked to complete two surveys: 1) The Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), and 2) A revised abbreviated form of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1996). …