While many families have found comfort and companionship in lock puppies, new research shows that joy often came with safety risks, added anxiety and uneven benefits to children and carers.
Study: More than one man and his dog: the many impacts of acquiring puppies on the mental health of families, including children in the UK. Credit Picture: Nina Buday/Shutterstock.com
During the 2019 Crown Disease (Covid-19) pandemic, many families took puppies, mainly to help them with their mental health. A recent study at PLOS ONE He examines how children and dogs interact with these families, using a three -phase electronic research.
Import
About 1.6 million UK homes have one or more dogs. Dogs are part of the family in these houses and many family members consider themselves a dog owner. This contradicts the common misconception that a person, usually an adult, possesses the dog.
A previous study showed that 38% of people in the United Kingdom today have a dog acquired it during the pandemic, resulting in “Pandemic Puppies”. Pandemic years were characterized by lock, periods of strictly limited natural social interactions and widespread fear of serious illness and death. The increasing rates of mental poor health, coupled with the belief that possession of a dog in the household would help to deal with emotional negativeness, led to the tendency of pandemic puppies.
Very little is known about the benefits of pet ownership for children or adults, which caused this current study. The researchers conducted an online survey in three parts. The households that took a dog in 2019 with those that took a dog during 2020-21 were compared. Since few people responded to the 2019 team, statistical comparisons have come into force and qualitative analysis gathered both teams instead of dealing with them separately.
Study findings
The answers came from 382 carers and 216 children. In most cases, dog care seems to be a female job, with half of women being 45-54 years old. For a little less than half, this was their first dog. Two -thirds said they were investigating their decision before acquiring a puppy.
More than half families took a dog to reinforce their spirits and bring joy back home. Above half of the children in the study were women, with an average age of 13. Slightly smaller than a quarter of caregivers had children with a mental health diagnosis, with 82% of them blaming the pandemic, partly.
Demanding work
One -third of carers found that he was living with a puppy more difficult than expected, especially when they were their first dog. The biggest challenge was to ensure that everyone remained safe around the dog, especially children.
Other challenges have always included the care of the dog, especially when other family members were less involved. Some mothers thought that their children were less involved in walking and feeding dogs, though others were more involved than expected. Dog owners for the first time were more likely to find their children less involved in care than expected.
First
Many carers reported anxiety involved in securing safe dog-child interactions. As far as half of the children were concerned, they were able to participate in multiple activities that are known to increase the risk of biting (17/25 listed interactions). About half of the children had eight dangerous interactions with the family pet. For example, children not only hit their dogs, but hugged and kissed them in 90% or more families. Above one -third of families allowed children to play with the dog over the years, a well -known danger to bite behavior. Obviously mistreatment, such as pulling the dog’s ears or tail, is permitted in <7% of families.
Emotional boost
Both children and adults found that the possession of a dog had multiple positive aspects, especially the close natural interactions between children and the dog. The impact of a dog was different for different people in the same family. His presence could change the function and mood of the whole family.
In almost all families, at least one member has benefited from the positive results of the dog as a teammate, confidential, friend, comforter and assurance. Children “belong” to the dog.
The lock was associated with very bad memories, which many carers and children reminded them to relax from the presence of a dog. Not only did the children enjoy hugging, hugging or sharing a bed with their dogs as an expression of their love, but this also gave an emotional impulse when they were sad, lonely or anxious.
The family was often associated with the care of a dog, maintaining it naturally dedicated, and from companionship and humor the dog brought to life. The dog was also separated by children from virtual interactions and brought them out of their bedrooms to deal with the family.
On the contrary, children sometimes contrast the care of the family pet, envy when the dog seems to prefer others or get more attention and not like the dog who is seeking attention when dealing with others. Carers often ignore that their children do not like these behaviors or do not appreciate that they have to give up much of their free time to take care of the dog.
Identifying the aversion, risk, fear or aggression in a dog is vital to dog owners. It should be taught wherever possible, even through literature or other means, if not of course.
Conclusions
“These findings emphasize the importance of participating in all members of the households in the human research and emphasize the unpredictable as the acquisition motives will be aligned with the results. “Pandemic puppies” have not always improved the mental health of children in the families who belong to them and that should not be the reason for taking a puppy.
Children often love to have a dog as a companion and a teammate, but they need to be trained to avoid behaviors that increase the risk of dog biting. Families need access to resources to help them settle safely in the new puppy, especially taking into account the additional mental burden of the carer who is placed on the woman who usually takes care of dogs and maintains safe dog-child boundaries, in addition to her other responsibilities at home.
