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Cited by 302Human-Animal Interaction StudiesAnimal Behavior and Welfare StudiesChild Therapy and Development

Companion Animals and Child/Adolescent Development: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Open access
Purewal, Rebecca, Christley, Robert, Kordas, Katarzyna, Joinson, Carol, Meints, Kerstin, Gee, Nancy, Westgarth, Carri·2017·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI 10.3390/ijerph14030234PMC PMC5369070
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Abstract

Childhood and adolescence are important developmental phases which influence health and well-being across the life span. Social relationships are fundamental to child and adolescent development; yet studies have been limited to children’s relationships with other humans. This paper provides an evidence review for the potential associations between pet ownership and emotional; behavioural; cognitive; educational and social developmental outcomes. As the field is in the early stages; a broad set of inclusion criteria was applied. A systematic search of databases and grey literature sources found twenty-two studies meeting selection criteria. The review found evidence for an association between pet ownership and a wide range of emotional health benefits from childhood pet ownership; particularly for self-esteem and loneliness. The findings regarding childhood anxiety and depression were inconclusive. Studies also showed evidence of an association between pet ownership and educational and cognitive benefits; for example, in perspective-taking abilities and intellectual development. Evidence on behavioural development was unclear due to a lack of high quality research. Studies on pet ownership and social development provided evidence for an association with increased social competence; social networks; social interaction and social play behaviour. Overall, pet ownership and the significance of children’s bonds with companion animals have been underexplored; there is a shortage of high quality and longitudinal studies in all outcomes. Prospective studies that control for a wide range of confounders are required.

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Crossref · 10.3390/ijerph14030234

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83 of 84 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • A wide range of emotional health benefits from childhood pet ownership has been identified, particularly for those suffering from low self-esteem and loneliness.

    “Finally, a wide range of emotional health benefits from childhood pet ownership has been identified, particularly for those suffering from low self-esteem and loneliness.”

    From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [44]

    The Results (§3.1) explicitly identify a wide range of emotional health benefits and report findings on self-esteem and loneliness. However, the review does not establish that benefits are particularly strong for children already suffering from low self-esteem and loneliness; that subgroup-specific claim goes beyond the evidence presented. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • There is evidence of an association between pet ownership and educational and cognitive benefits, increased social competence, social networks, social interaction, and social play behavior.

    “There is evidence of an association between pet ownership and educational and cognitive benefits, increased social competence, social networks, social interaction, and social play behavior [43,44].”

    From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [44]

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [13]Melson G.F. Schwarz R. Pets as social supports for families of young children Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Delta Society New York, NY, USA 1 October 1994
  2. [68]Güçlü M. The effects of keeping pets on children Proceedings of the Multidisciplinary Academic Conference Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey 5 July 2016 81 87
  3. [73]Piaget J. The Mechanisms of Perception Routledge & Kegan Paul London, UK 1969
  4. [94]Serpell J.A. Coppinger R. Fine A.H. Peralta J. Aubrey H. Welfare considerations in therapy and assistance animals Handbook of Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice Academic Press Cambridge, MA, USA 2006 452 476

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Authors
Purewal, R., Christley, R., Kordas, K., Joinson, C., Meints, K., Gee, N., & Westgarth, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Liverpool (GB)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • University of Lincoln (GB)
  • State University of New York (US)
Corresponding author
Purewal, Rebecca
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2017-02-27
Volume
14
Issue
3
Pages
234
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ijerph14030234
PMC
PMC5369070
OpenAlex
W2594712267
Cited by
302
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 5
FWCI
2.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Lincoln Repository (University of Lincoln) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Therapy and Development
Keywords
pet ownership, companion animals, child development, adolescent development, emotional well-being, self-esteem, loneliness, anxiety, depression, perspective taking, intellectual development, social competence, social networks, social interaction, social play
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Animals, Anxiety, Child, Child Development, Depression, Humans, Loneliness, Mental Health, Self Concept, Adolescent Development, Pets

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