Loneliness and pet ownership among dependent older adults in a Southern European urban context
Marí-Klose, Marga ; Marí-Klose, Pau (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Gallo, Pedro ; Escapa, Sandra ; Julià, Albert
Resumen: Objective
Identify the role that pet ownership may play in mitigating feelings of loneliness among dependent older adults, with a particular focus on gender and mobility problems.
Method
We use a representative sample of dependent individuals aged 65 and over (n = 1,600), with 1,005 self-respondents in Barcelona, drawn from the 2023 Survey of Older People with Functional Dependency. Logistic regression models assess the associations between pet ownership (dog, cat, or other animal) and perceived loneliness in older dependents. Models are stratified by gender.
Results
The analysis highlights that dog ownership and receiving family care are factors associated to lower risk of perceived loneliness, particularly among women. In contrast, the association between pet ownership and loneliness is less clear for men for whom no differences were observed between dog owners, other pet owners and individuals without pets in the outcome measure. Our analyses also reveal that the benefits of dog ownership hold only for old age dependents with mobility impairments.
Conclusion
Our results provide evidence that gender, type of pet and mobility are key variables associated to loneliness. These findings underscore the importance of considering dog ownership and family involvement in care strategies to mitigate loneliness among older dependents.
Idioma: Inglés
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2417196
Año: 2024
Publicado en: AGING & MENTAL HEALTH (2024), 1-9
ISSN: 1360-7863
Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)
Área (Departamento): Área Sociología (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)
Fecha de embargo : 2025-10-17
Exportado de SIDERAL (2024-11-08-10:44:59)
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Identify the role that pet ownership may play in mitigating feelings of loneliness among dependent older adults, with a particular focus on gender and mobility problems.
Method
We use a representative sample of dependent individuals aged 65 and over (n = 1,600), with 1,005 self-respondents in Barcelona, drawn from the 2023 Survey of Older People with Functional Dependency. Logistic regression models assess the associations between pet ownership (dog, cat, or other animal) and perceived loneliness in older dependents. Models are stratified by gender.
Results
The analysis highlights that dog ownership and receiving family care are factors associated to lower risk of perceived loneliness, particularly among women. In contrast, the association between pet ownership and loneliness is less clear for men for whom no differences were observed between dog owners, other pet owners and individuals without pets in the outcome measure. Our analyses also reveal that the benefits of dog ownership hold only for old age dependents with mobility impairments.
Conclusion
Our results provide evidence that gender, type of pet and mobility are key variables associated to loneliness. These findings underscore the importance of considering dog ownership and family involvement in care strategies to mitigate loneliness among older dependents.
Idioma: Inglés
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2417196
Año: 2024
Publicado en: AGING & MENTAL HEALTH (2024), 1-9
ISSN: 1360-7863
Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)
Área (Departamento): Área Sociología (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)
Fecha de embargo : 2025-10-17
Exportado de SIDERAL (2024-11-08-10:44:59)
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Este artículo se encuentra en las siguientes colecciones:
articulos > articulos-por-area > sociologia
Notice créée le 2024-10-30, modifiée le 2024-11-08