Topic
Pet ownership and its benefits

Research question:
Are there any benefits to owning a pet?

Thesis Statement
Research suggests that owning a pet is beneficial because it helps alleviate depression, reduces anxiety, reduces stress and promotes interpersonal interaction with others.

References

Reference #1
Moore, A. (2002). Get a Pet-Doctor's Orders http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/happy-health-benefits-adopting-pet This article explains why some doctors are now starting to recommend pet prescriptions to some patients who live alone. It explains how a pet can have a positive effect on your emotional and physical health when dealing with health issues such as cancer and high blood pressure.

There was a study conducted by the University of California’s Center for Animal Alternatives. The study showed that pet ownership was especially beneficial to elderly individuals as they are susceptible to depression and feelings of loneliness. The study showed that pets were able to provide feelings of comfort which helped with the feelings of loneliness and depression.

Dr. Becker traveled across the country and conducted 350 interviews with scientists, physicians and experts to find how an animal has the ability to detect and treat some diseases and conditions. The people interviewed were experts from the National Institute of Health and Harvard University’s School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic. .

The study done by Dr. Becker found that half a group of stockbrokers on high blood pressure medication did not need any more meds after 2 months of adopting a pet. The study also found that elderly people that owned dogs took them out for walks and they felt healthier.

Dr. Creagan, MD, an oncologist, is now recommending pet prescriptions to some patients who live alone and are in need of companionship. “I am very hopeful that this is the beginning of something big, a multidisciplinary approach to healing that includes the family pet” says Dr. Creagan. (As cited in “Get a Pet- Doctor’s Orders”, 2002)

This article supports my thesis for QBT1.

Dr. Edward T. Creagan is a credible source. He is board certified in internal medicine, hospice medicine, medical oncology and palliative care. Dr. Creagan is also a professor of medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He was awarded the highest recognition at the Mayo clinic which is the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award.

Reference #2
Butler, C. (2010). MAKE HEALTH A PET PROJECT. American Fitness, 28(2), 60-61.

This article is about the health benefits to owning a pet. Owning a dog or cat can be beneficial to an individual’s health and emotional well-being. A dog is a great companion that can be very helpful in going out to exercise.

According to Robert Kushner, a professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, dogs can be even more motivation than a human exercise partner. “A companion dog adds beneficial supportive factors that an exercise friend does not, parental pride, enjoyment, a consistent initiator he said.
(As cited in “Make Health a Pet Project”, 2010)

For decades, Erika Friedmann, has been studying how pets are beneficial to the human health. Erika Friedmann is a professor at the University of Maryland, School of Nursing. She states that pets help decrease the levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness and depression for some people. Pets also provide company and promote meeting other people.

There are many psychological benefits that the unconditional love and acceptance that pets provide to people. This helps depressed people feel better. This article supports my thesis and main points.

Erika Friedmann, PhD is a credible author in the article. These are some of the most recent publications she has been involved in the following articles and or books:

 Friedmann, E., Thomas, S.A., Son, H., Chapa, D.W., McCune, S. Pet's presence and owner's blood pressures during the daily lives of pet owners with pre-to mild hypertension. Anthrozoös (In Press).
 Friedmann, E., Son, H., Chapa, D., Lee, H-J., Thomas, S.A., Poor social support is associated with increases in depression but not anxiety over 2 years in heart failure outpatients. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. In Press.
 Son, H., Thomas, S.A., Friedmann, E. The association between psychological distress and coping patterns in post MI patients and their partners. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 21(15-16) 2392-239, 2012.
 Woltz, P.C., Chapa, D.W., Friedmann, E., Son, H., Akintade, B., Thomas, S.A. Effects of interventions on depression in heart failure: A systematic review. Heart & Lung, 41(5), 469-483 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2012.06.002.
 Ross, A., Bevans, M., Friedmann, E., Thomas, S.A. National survey of yoga practitioners: Mental and physical health benefits. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2012 ID JACM-2012-626.
 Son, H., Friedmann, E., Thomas, S.A. Application of pattern mixture models to address missing data in longitudinal data analysis using SPSS. Nursing Research. 61:195-203, 2012.
 Saylor, J. Friedmann, E., Lee, H-J. Navigating complex samples analysis using national survey data. Nursing Research, 61:231-237, 2012.
 Gilden, R, Friedmann, E., Satler, B., Squibb, K.; McPhaul, K. Potential health effects related to pesticide use on athletic fields. Public Health Nursing, 29: 198-207, 2012.
 Adelman, R.D., Greene, M.G., Friedmann, E., Ory, M.G., and Snow, C.E. Older patients – physician discussions about exercise. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 19:225-238, 2011.
 Friedmann, E., Thomas, S.A., Son, H. for the HAT Investigators. Pets, depression and long term survival in community living patients following myocardial infarction . Anthrozoos, 24: 273-285, 2011.
 Freedenberg, V., Thomas, S.A., and Friedmann, E. Anxiety and depression in ICD recipients and heart failure: A review. Heart Failure Clinics of North America, 7: 59-68, 2011.

Reference #3
Johnson, T. (2011). Pets can be a prescription for happier, healthier life. Nation's Health, 40(10), 32. http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/site/healthyyou/HealthyYouPets.pdf Article discusses the health and emotional benefits owning a pet can do for your health. Studies show that a dog and cat can help reduce stress levels, lower your blood pleasure, alleviate depression and reduce a person’s feelings of feeling lonely.

Studies also show that when owning a dog, a person walks in a more regular basis then a person not owning a dog. Not only are you getting exercise to help your health but walking a dog can help you interact with others easily. When you are walking a dog, people are more likely to strike up a conversation with you. A person becomes more approachable. Research has shown that the neighborhoods where people are seeing walking their dogs are often viewed as friendly and safe neighborhoods.

“There are lots of studies showing that pets are good for our health,” says Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University Of Missouri College Of Veterinary Medicine. (As cited on “Pets Can Be a Prescription for Happier, Healthier life”, 2011)

My thesis for QBT1 is about how owning a pet can alleviate depression and can help with interaction with other people. This article supports my thesis and main points.

Teddi Dineley Johnson is a credible source. He has written many online publications including an article featured in the current issue of The Nation’s Health, a print and online publication of the American Public Health Association.

Reference #4
Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. (2010) Depression, Anxiety and Pets ww.mentalhelp.net This article discusses some of the value and benefits of owning a pet such as helping with depression and anxiety. It mainly focuses on owning a dog to help with Depression and anxiety. It will force a person to leave the house because dogs need to be walked a few times a day. Once out, walking the dog will facilitate in engaging in conversation as people often want to pet a dog and ask questions about it.
Anxiety is associated with being around too many people. Having the companionship of a dog while taking a walk contributes to giving a person the confidence to go out into the world.
People that are depressed often isolate themselves from the world but owning a dog forces a person to go out for a walk which they wouldn’t do if not owned a dog.

“A pet can be a great stress reduces, How can you hold onto stress when you and your family are having fun with your pet?” says Allan N Schwartz, PhD. (As cited on “Depression, Anxiety and Pets” 2010)

The material in this article is valuable and it’s a great source of background information from Allan N. Schwartz, PhD. It supports my thesis statement. Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D has been in private practice for over than 30 years. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Colorado and New York.

Reference #5
Dana Casciotti, PhD (2011) Pets and Health: The Impact of Companion Animals http://center4research.org/healthy-living-prevention/pets-and-health-the-impact-of-companion-animals/ This article discusses the benefits of owning a pet. Such benefits include lowering blood pressure, reduce stress and alleviate depression.
Some findings suggest that a pet can provide a person to feel relaxed and decreases stress. People can also get social support from family and friends and have some of the same benefits; however some interpersonal relationships can cause stress.

Walking a dog has been found to increase social interaction. It increases social interaction when walking a dog compared to walking alone.

About 71 million American’s own a pet that lives in their household. People consider these pets members of their family.
“Some research studies have found that people who have a pet have a healthier heart, stay home sick less often, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise and are less depressed.” Says Dana Casciotti, PhD (As cited on “Pets and Health: The Impact of Companion Animals”, 2011)

This information is supports my thesis statement as it discusses the benefits of owning a pet, primarily a dog. The information supports my thesis and supports my main points.

Dana Casciotti, PhD is a credible source as she is involved in writing for the National Research Center for Women and Families. She is also part of the public health research director of the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund.

Reference #6
Erin Dostal (2012) 7 Reasons You Need A Pet http://www.prevention.com/health/emotional-health/health-benefits-owning-pet This article discusses 7 reasons why you need a pet in your life. Reason number 2 in this article explains that having a pet can help foster a person’s interpersonal skills.

“Being outside with a dog helps you meet people,” says Alan Entin, a psychologist and past president of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Family Psychology. This helps meet other dog owners and that helps improve your social life. (As cited in “7 Reasons You Need A Pet”. 2012)

Reason number 5 in the articles discusses how pets can provide companionship. People who live alone often can feel lonely according to a study from Miami University and Saint Louis University

“People with pets probably feel less lonely because the pet provides a sense of social support,” said Allen R. McConnel, a professor at Miami University and an author of the study. (As cited on “7 Reasons You Need A Pet”, 2012)

This article supports two of my main points and it supports my thesis statement.

Allen R. McConnel is a credible source. He is a professor at Miami University. He is the editor in chief of Social Psychological and Personality Science. He is the associate editor at Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Allen R. McConnel also is part of the National Science Foundation social psychology grant panel. He also organizes conferences for the SPSP Social Cognition Preconference. He has been recognized as the Professor of the Year in Psychology.

Research #7
Elizabeth Scott, M.S (2012) How owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm This article discusses ways a pet can be beneficial to your health and how a cat or a dog can help alleviate stress, encourage social interaction and can help alleviate loneliness.

Research shows that when you spend time with a pet, it can help stress levels. Resent research also showed that people with a pet experienced less stress when conducting a task that is stressful. The research showed that it helped with stress better than when conducting the task with a supportive friend or when a spouse was present.

Pets are able to be offer love and companionship that can be the beneficial to help with loneliness. Research shows that some residents in nursing homes reported loneliness was lessened when they were visited by a dog. They felt less lonely then when they were around other people.

Pets can help with social support because people walking a dog can become more approachable and gives other people a reason to stop and talk to the person walking the dog. This gives people opportunities to increase their network of friends which can also have an effect in stress.
It’s important to realize that owning a pet isn’t for everyone.

“Pets do come with additional work and responsibility, which can bring its own stress. However, for most people, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks. Having a furry best friend can reduce stress in your life and bring you support when times get tough” said Elizabeth Scott. ( As cited on “How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress”. 2012)

This article supports 3 of my main points and also supports my thesis statement.

Elizabeth Anne Scott is a credible source. She holds a B.A. in psychology, an M.S. in counseling with a specialization in family therapy. She is a wellness coach, author and health educator. She is also an award winning blogger.

Resource #8
Donna Jackel, The Power of Pets http://www.hopetocope.com/Item.aspx/656/the-power-of-pets The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that having a companion pets in a household can be very beneficial to people who live alone and suffer from depression.

“All people report feeling less lonely in the presence of animals—even birds,” says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “Animals are good for everyone, but particularly for anxious and depressed people. ( As cited in “The Power of Pets”)

Jennifer P. Wisdom, PhD, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute conducted a survey. Jennifer P. Wisdom, PhD and her colleagues had the survey that included 177 individuals that had mental health.
The research concluded that animal companions help boost their self-esteem and it helped initiate social encounters.

Having a dog can help people that tend to self-isolate or have social anxiety. Having the dog can help start conversation with other people. There was a study conducted in 2000 by researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. The study showed that 65 strangers stopped to speak with a person walking a dog. When the same people walked without a dog, the people that stopped to talk to the people without the dog decreased to 3 people. The article is a credible source for my thesis statement and it supports 2 of my main points.

Jennifer Wisdom, PhD is a credible author in the article. She is an associate Professor of Clinical Psychology. She is a research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Resource #9
Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. (2013) The Therapeutic Benefits of Pets http://www.helpguide.org/life/pets.htm Adopting a pet can help to make lifestyle changes. Changes that are healthy and can help with symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety. When people take care of a pet, it can help meeting new people. Pets are a great social lubricant. People who own dogs often stop and talk to each other when they are walking their dogs. Owning a pet can help with loneliness. Taking care of an animal can help by making the individual feel needed and wanted. It can take the focus away from problems.

Owning a pet and having their company can give a person comfort which can help decrease anxiety. This helps people build self-confidence for those individuals that suffer from anxiety when going out into the world.

Owning a pet can help relieve stress in individuals. Touch and physical activity is a healthy way to manage stress. Petting a cat or taking a dog for a walk can help manage stress.

This article supports my thesis statement and supports 3 of my main points.

Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. is a credible author in the article. She is psychotherapist that has been helping families for nearly 40 years. She has published books in 13 languages She has served in many nationals nonprofit boards.

Resource#10
Melissa Breyer, (2011) 6 Health Benefits of Having Pets http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-health-benefits-of-having-pets.html?page=1 Owning a pet can help people heal emotional, physically and mentally. There are many obvious benefits such as companionship and unconditional love; however, pets are beneficial and have positive effect to our health.

There are many benefits of owning a pet. One of the 6 health benefits of having a pet is reducing stress. Mindlab International conducted a survey. Mindlab’s survey found that 55 percent of individuals felt very relaxed after spending time with their animals. About 44 percent of people in the same research felt less worried about problems after spending time with their pet. The problems included such issues as security in job or finances.

Dr. David Lewis, a psychologist at Minlab said that “Interacting with a dog is a profound and an effective stress reduces. It increases feeling of contentment and relaxation.” (As cited in “6 health Benefits of Having Pets”. 2011)

The article has credible information that supports my thesis statement and one of my main points.

Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson is the Chairman & Director of Research at Mindlab International. He is a best-selling author whom has written more than 30 books. A few books related to stress management.