The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness

Research has reported the benefits of companion animals for people with severe mental illness (SMI). However, this evidence base is fragmented and unclear. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to explore the role of companion animals in the context of social distancing and isolation measure...

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Autores principales:	Emily Shoesmith, Panagiotis Spanakis, Emily Peckham, Paul Heron, Gordon Johnston, Lauren Walker, Suzanne Crosland, Elena Ratschen
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	human–animal interaction human–animal relationships companion animals COVID-19 mental health physical health Medicine R
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/98cc20318b7b4cebaeee9d2dccc2e214
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:98cc20318b7b4cebaeee9d2dccc2e2142021-11-25T17:49:24ZThe Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness10.3390/ijerph1822119081660-46011661-7827https://doaj.org/article/98cc20318b7b4cebaeee9d2dccc2e2142021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11908https://doaj.org/toc/1661-7827https://doaj.org/toc/1660-4601Research has reported the benefits of companion animals for people with severe mental illness (SMI). However, this evidence base is fragmented and unclear. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to explore the role of companion animals in the context of social distancing and isolation measures for people with SMI. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the links between mental and physical health and animal ownership in people with SMI and to explore animal owners’ perceptions related to human–animal interactions during the pandemic restrictions. A survey was conducted with a previously assembled cohort of individuals with SMI in the UK. The survey included previously validated and new bespoke items measuring demographics, and outcomes related to mental and physical health, and human–animal interactions. The survey also included a question inviting free-text responses, allowing participants to describe any experiences of their human–animal relationships during the pandemic. Of 315 participants who consented to participate, 249 (79%) completed the survey. Of these, 115 (46.2%) had at least one companion animal. Regression analyses indicated that animal ownership was not significantly associated with well-being and loneliness. However, animal ownership was associated with a self-reported decline in mental health (<i>b</i> = 0.640, 95% CI [0.102–1.231], <i>p</i> = 0.025), but no self-reported change in physical health. Thematic analysis identified two main themes relating to the positive and negative impact of animal ownership during pandemic restrictions. Animal ownership appeared to be linked to self-reported mental health decline in people with SMI during the second wave of the pandemic in the UK. However, the thematic analysis also highlighted the perceived benefit of animal ownership during this time. Further targeted investigation of the role of human–animal relationships and the perceived human–animal bond for human health is warranted.Emily ShoesmithPanagiotis SpanakisEmily PeckhamPaul HeronGordon JohnstonLauren WalkerSuzanne CroslandElena RatschenMDPI AGarticlehuman–animal interactionhuman–animal relationshipscompanion animalsCOVID-19mental healthphysical healthMedicineRENInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 11908, p 11908 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	human–animal interaction human–animal relationships companion animals COVID-19 mental health physical health Medicine R
spellingShingle	human–animal interaction human–animal relationships companion animals COVID-19 mental health physical health Medicine R Emily Shoesmith Panagiotis Spanakis Emily Peckham Paul Heron Gordon Johnston Lauren Walker Suzanne Crosland Elena Ratschen The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
description	Research has reported the benefits of companion animals for people with severe mental illness (SMI). However, this evidence base is fragmented and unclear. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to explore the role of companion animals in the context of social distancing and isolation measures for people with SMI. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the links between mental and physical health and animal ownership in people with SMI and to explore animal owners’ perceptions related to human–animal interactions during the pandemic restrictions. A survey was conducted with a previously assembled cohort of individuals with SMI in the UK. The survey included previously validated and new bespoke items measuring demographics, and outcomes related to mental and physical health, and human–animal interactions. The survey also included a question inviting free-text responses, allowing participants to describe any experiences of their human–animal relationships during the pandemic. Of 315 participants who consented to participate, 249 (79%) completed the survey. Of these, 115 (46.2%) had at least one companion animal. Regression analyses indicated that animal ownership was not significantly associated with well-being and loneliness. However, animal ownership was associated with a self-reported decline in mental health (<i>b</i> = 0.640, 95% CI [0.102–1.231], <i>p</i> = 0.025), but no self-reported change in physical health. Thematic analysis identified two main themes relating to the positive and negative impact of animal ownership during pandemic restrictions. Animal ownership appeared to be linked to self-reported mental health decline in people with SMI during the second wave of the pandemic in the UK. However, the thematic analysis also highlighted the perceived benefit of animal ownership during this time. Further targeted investigation of the role of human–animal relationships and the perceived human–animal bond for human health is warranted.
format	article
author	Emily Shoesmith Panagiotis Spanakis Emily Peckham Paul Heron Gordon Johnston Lauren Walker Suzanne Crosland Elena Ratschen
author_facet	Emily Shoesmith Panagiotis Spanakis Emily Peckham Paul Heron Gordon Johnston Lauren Walker Suzanne Crosland Elena Ratschen
author_sort	Emily Shoesmith
title	The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
title_short	The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
title_full	The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
title_fullStr	The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
title_full_unstemmed	The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness
title_sort	role of animal ownership for people with severe mental illness during the covid-19 pandemic: a mixed-method study investigating links with health and loneliness
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/98cc20318b7b4cebaeee9d2dccc2e214
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The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness

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