Pet project: what they say about us

Psychology

What does your relationship with a pet say about you?

That's the question being posed by student Jasmin Peacock, who is undertaking a Clinical Masters degree in Psychology at the University of Adelaide.

Ms Peacock is conducting a research project about the role of pets in people's lives, exploring the link between pets and their owners' mental health - and she needs pet owners to take part in her study.

"Essentially I'm looking at how a pet owner's love for their pet affects their daily life and sense of well-being," Ms Peacock said.

"With the ever-changing aspects of modern society, such as the decline in community living and constant shift of family dynamics, the roles of pets in people's lives are becoming more and more significant. Therefore, it's important for us to find out how the relationships we have with our pets impact on our everyday lives."

Ms Peacock said previous studies have shown that spending time with a pet can reduce stress, feelings of anxiety and loneliness and generally improve a person's mood. Pets can also provide their owners with emotional and social support.

"However, sometimes the responsibility of taking care of a pet can be stressful, and it has been linked to feelings of boredom and depression. Also, at times pets can prevent people from engaging in activities, like going on holidays, or even renting better houses or moving into retirement homes if it would mean being separated from their animals.

"Overall, the current research in this field is unclear, which is why we need to look further into the links between pets and their owners."

Ms Peacock said the important factor to consider is what a pet actually means to their owner.

"For example, some people may keep animals solely for practical purposes, like a dog for security - to guard their property and discourage intruders. In this case it is likely that the guard dog would have little or no impact on their owner's general well-being.

"On the other hand, in some situations a pet is like a member of the family, in that their owners' may frequently buy them gifts, carry photos of them in their wallet and even take their pets with them to visit friends and family. This love for a pet demonstrates an emotional bond that is essentially what my study will be looking at."

Ms Peacock is looking for pet owners who love their pets to participate in this study.

The study involves filling out some questionnaires, which should take about 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaires will ask participants for information about their relationship with their pet, their age and gender, sense of well-being, and other sources of social support.

All information will be treated as confidential and no-one will be identified in the report on the study.

Ms Peacock's research is supervised by Professor Anna Chur-Hansen (Discipline of Psychiatry) and Professor Helen Winefield (Discipline of Psychiatry and School of Psychology).

Please note: Ms Peacock has now recruited enough people for her study.

Story by David Ellis