Association between Pet Ownership and Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadians Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

José Denis-Robichaud, Cécile Aenishaenslin, Lucie Richard, Marion Desmarchelier and Hélène Carabin
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José Denis-Robichaud: Independent Researcher, Amqui, QC G5J 2N5, Canada
Cécile Aenishaenslin: Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
Lucie Richard: Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), Montreal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
Marion Desmarchelier: Département de Sciences Cliniques, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
Hélène Carabin: Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the association between pet ownership and quality of life (QoL), loneliness, anxiety, stress, overall health, and mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic using a One Health perspective. An online bilingual survey was completed by 1500 Canadians in April–May 2021. Socio-demographics, health, QoL, stress and anxiety, loneliness, social support, pet ownership, and attitude towards pets data were collected. Crude and adjusted associations between pet ownership and mental health and well-being indicators were estimated. The 1500 participants were from all provinces and territories, half were women; half of the participants were pet owners by design. The crude association estimates showed that pet owners had poorer QoL, overall health, and mental health than non-pet owners, and were lonelier, more stressed, and more anxious than non-pet owners. Adjusted estimates showed that these associations disappeared with the inclusion of the confounders (socio-economic, demographic, health, and pet-related variables). Our results suggest that there was no association between pet ownership and the mental health and well-being indicators measured in the present study.

Keywords: companion animal; generalized anxiety disorder; One Health; quality of life; stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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