Longitudinal associations between pet relationship quality and socio‐emotional functioning in early adolescence

IF 1.6 4区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Social Development Pub Date : 2023-10-18 DOI:10.1111/sode.12718

Megan K. Mueller, Kristina S. Callina, Amanda M. Richer, Linda Charmaraman

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio‐emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet‐owning adolescents, collected over four‐time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disclosure) predicted trajectories of loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. Results indicated that high satisfaction with a pet relationship was associated with more favorable trajectories, but companionship (i.e., regarding the frequency of interacting with the pet) was not related significantly to socio‐emotional functioning. High levels of disclosure to a pet were linked with less favorable trajectories for loneliness and depression, but not related to social anxiety. These results suggest that a pet relationship can, in some cases, be associated positively with socio‐emotional development, but that there is significant complexity in these associations. Families, educators, and practitioners should take a nuanced approach to understanding individual adolescent‐pet relationships as a contextual asset for specific youth.

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青少年早期宠物关系质量与社会情感功能的纵向关联

青春期是社会情感技能发展的关键时期，伴侣动物关系可能是这一时期情感支持和适应能力的潜在来源。这项研究使用了940名养宠物的青少年的纵向数据，收集了四个时间点，来自美国东北部的青少年。我们评估了宠物关系质量(以关系满意度、陪伴和情感表露为指标)是否预测了孤独、社交焦虑和抑郁的轨迹。结果表明，对宠物关系的高满意度与更有利的轨迹相关，但陪伴(即与宠物互动的频率)与社会情感功能没有显著相关性。对宠物的高程度披露与孤独感和抑郁的不利轨迹有关，但与社交焦虑无关。这些结果表明，在某些情况下，宠物关系可能与社会情感发展呈正相关，但这些关系存在显著的复杂性。家庭、教育工作者和从业者应该采取细致入微的方法来理解个别青少年与宠物的关系，作为特定青少年的背景资产。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Development PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

3.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Social Development is a major international journal dealing with all aspects of children"s social development as seen from a psychological stance. Coverage includes a wide range of topics such as social cognition, peer relationships, social interaction, attachment formation, emotional development and children"s theories of mind. The main emphasis is placed on development in childhood, but lifespan, cross-species and cross-cultural perspectives enhancing our understanding of human development are also featured.