This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Pet dogs may lower odds for childhood anxiety

Having a pet dog in the home was associated with a decreased likelihood of childhood anxiety, according to findings in Preventing Chronic Disease.

“Although dog ownership may improve adult physical activity, body weight and mental health, less is known about the relationship between pet dogs and children’s health,” Anne M. Gadomski, MD, MPH, of Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, New York, and colleagues wrote. “In Australia and the United Kingdom, dog ownership was associated with increased accelerometer-measured physical activity among children aged 5 to 12 years and a lower likelihood of overweight or obesity among children aged 5 to 6 years.”

To determine if pet dogs were positively associated with healthy weight and mental health among children in the United States, researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey over 18 months in a pediatric primary care setting. The study cohort included 643 children with a mean age of 6.7 years. Parents of children aged 4 to 10 years completed a web-based health risk screener to assess child BMI, physical activity, screen time and mental health.

Overall, 58% of study participants had pet dogs in the home.

BMI, screen time of 2 hours or less and physical activity did not differ between children with and without pet dogs.

A lower percentage of children with pet dogs met the clinical cut-off value of Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED-5) of 3 or more, compared with children without pet dogs (12% vs. 21%; P = .002).

Children with pet dogs had a lower mean SCARED-5 score compared with children without pet dogs (1.13 vs. 1.4; P = .01).

This relationship remained when controlling for several covariates in multivariate analysis.

“Pet dogs could reduce childhood anxiety, particularly social and separation anxiety, by various mechanisms. A pet dog can stimulate conversation, an ice-breaking effect that can alleviate social anxiety via a social catalyst effect. Companionship with a pet can alleviate separation anxiety and strengthen attachment. Social interaction of humans and dogs may also lead to increased oxytocin levels in both the human and the dog. Interacting with a friendly dog also reduces cortisol levels most likely through oxytocin release, which attenuates physiologic responses to stress. These hormonal effects may underlie the observed emotional and behavioral benefits of [animal-assisted therapy] and pet dogs,” the researchers concluded. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Please see the full study for a list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.