“How does animal companionship affect overall wellbeing in individuals suffering from severe loneliness and mental disorder?” Byron Edge

“How does animal companionship affect overall wellbeing in individuals suffering from severe loneliness and mental disorder?” Subclaim 1 Companion animals provide emotional and social support for those who do not otherwise have a means to receive it. “The absence of positive social relationships has been shown to be a strong factor in predicting psychological distress (Kawachi & Berkman, 2001). Thus, social support is a critical variable that must be adequately assessed in any research investigating the relationship between companion animal attachment and psychological well-being.” (Peacock 294) Interpretation: When looking at any research or human-animal relationship, levels of attachment and psychological state must always be evaluated when considering social support as a result. “While companion animals have been recognized as a source of social support for their owners in the HAI literature, pets may also precipitate human-human interactions that lead to supportive networks. Qualitative data from a previous Perth study suggested relationships facilitated through pets can evolve into a source of social support for some pet owners.” (Wood 3) Interpretation: Companion animals may help to enable individuals to participate in social interactions and facilitate social relationships and support networks that may benefit the individual in the long run.

“How does animal companionship affect overall wellbeing in individuals suffering from severe loneliness and mental disorder?” Subclaim 2 Animals can provide a much needed reprieve from feelings of isolation and loneliness. “Pet owners reported significantly fewer symptoms of loneliness and depression than their non-pet-owning peers. Pet owners had lower average scores on the CES-D 10 measure of depression symptomology, at 7.8, compared to 10.2 among non-pet owners. Pet owners also reported lower average scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale, at 1.8, compared to 2.3 among non-pet owners.” (Rhoades 240)   Interpretation: Pet owners are much less likely than their non-pet owning peers to suffer from extreme depression and feelings of loneliness when based on the standard measurement scale. “ Social support has the potential to buffer loneliness (Mahon et al., 2006), but not always. Loneliness has been observed in adolescents who described having a social network (DiTommaso et al., 2003 and Larose et al., 2002). It appears that adolescent loneliness results from attachment insecurity more so than the availability of social support.” (Black 104) Interpretation: loneliness and feelings of isolation do not come from purely social origins but rather the developed levels of attachment seen in individuals.

“How does animal companionship affect overall wellbeing in individuals suffering from severe loneliness and mental disorder?” Subclaim 3 Companion animals may satisfy a variety of basic human needs and act therapeutically “Many subjects believed that a positive sense of responsibility was established through the need to take care of their dogs, which seems to create a sense of purpose. Multiple individuals described their dogs as ‘part of the family’ and ‘the kids’ Subjects said their dogs gave them a reason to get out of bed in the morning because they had to take care of them. One participant even said his dog was ‘the one thing that keeps [him] going’ and another said he ‘couldn’t live without [his dog]’” (Kruger 191) Interpretation: From a study done on the positive impacts of animals on Military Vets with HIV/AIDS, this quote specifically cites how the presence of an animal gave these vets a greater sense of purpose and reasons to continue living healthily. “Persons whose work and leisure have a large sedentary component would be assumed to have a larger-than-average need for activity. Thus, pets not only may fulfill different needs and roles during the life cycle as Albert and Bulcroft (1988) have suggested, but also may fill different emergent roles over great periods of historical and technological change in human circumstances.” (Staats 289) Interpretation: Companion animals can help to encourage individuals who lead a lazy or stagnant lifestyle to become more active and develop a healthier lifestyle, satisfying the inherent human need for physical activity.

“How does animal companionship affect overall wellbeing in individuals suffering from severe loneliness and mental disorder?” Subclaim 4 Animals, when present in earlier portions of life, can influence cognitive development and attachment levels. “In several studies, including infants with and without pets in the home…,...have demonstrated experience with a cat or dog contributes to infants’ processing of animal images in laboratory tasks” (Hurley 32). Interpretation: The presence of animals in early stages of life and development can substantially influence how children understand images and perform certain processes and tasks later on life. “Child development theories have clear application for HAI research. For example, Melson (2003) reports on emerging evidence suggesting that the affordances of companion animals may stimulate a young child’s cognitive growth through curiosity and learning, while also providing a source of emotional support” (Esposito 2).   Interpretation: Animals, when present in earlier parts of life, can help with development of learning skills and exploration of curiosity in individuals, along with providing an additional form of emotional and psychological support.

What Next? I need to cover more on the counter argument for companion animals Go more in depth with the subclaim evidence.