New research investigates the wellbeing impact of pet ownership on seniors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As far back as I can remember, my nanna has always had a dog. Almost invariably they’ve been small yappy things, but to my nanna they could do no wrong and she took them everywhere. Secretly most family members found them quite annoying, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and my nanna’s current dog, Sushi, became her only companion, a hidden truth was revealed—Sushi was a superhero!

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, countries around the world restricted the movement of their citizens in a desperate bid to reduce the spread of the deadly disease. In an effort to protect older adults, who were amongst the most vulnerable, person-to-person contact was limited, but this also had a negative knock-on effect on their mental health. Yet, it was under this dark shadow that many people reported feeling particularly close to their pets, and pet ownership spiked.

New research into the role of pets

Previous research has found pet ownership to be associated with a wide range of physical, cognitive and psychological health benefits, especially for vulnerable populations. In particular, pet owners have been observed to enjoy better mental health, including reduced feelings of loneliness and depression. For this reason, recent research has investigated the role that pets played in protecting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of older adults during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the study, 351 older adults, aged between 65-88 years and living in the UK, Portugal or Spain, took part in an online semi-structured interview about their emotional connection with their pet and how this influenced their mental health during the covid-19 pandemic.

Study findings

The results revealed that pet ownership impacted participants’ experience of emotional relationships in several ways:

Enabling a meaningful emotional connection: 86% of participants, from all nationalities, reported experiencing a meaningful affective relationship with their pet, often describing them as a member of the family.

Strengthening emotional sharing with a partner: 68% of participants stated that their pet positively contributed to supporting relationships between partners by involving both parties in pet care tasks and roles.

Easing new emotional relationships: 61% of participants said that their pets facilitated social interactions and establishing new friendships by providing a topic of conversation.

Enhancing sensory stimuli and physical touch: 55% of participants referred to the tactile and sensory experiences their pets provide, offering comfort during the social distancing measures designed to halt the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Promoting the feeling physical pleasure: 22% of participants mentioned by all nationalities was the feeling of physical pleasure derived from petting, cuddling, or simply being in the presence of their pet.

The study also revealed significant mental health contributions from owning a pet during the Covid-19 pandemic, including a reduction in depression and loneliness which was reported by 73% of participants from all nationalities. Pet ownership was also related to lower feelings of loneliness (68%) and fewer mood swings (43%).

Therapeutic potential of pets

The findings of this study highlight the important role that pets can play in supporting the mental health of older adults, especially during challenging situations like the one presented by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study also contributes to a growing body of evidence highlighting the benefits of incorporating human-animal interactions into strategies promoting healthy aging. However, more research is needed into the potential adverse effects of pet ownership before we have a balanced understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of owning pets later in life.

Key study findings:

• Pets facilitated emotional relationships between partners
• Pets helped establish new emotional relationships
• Pet ownership was related to better mental health