Pets significantly reduce anxiety and depression in women, especially those with childhood trauma

By Vijay Kumar MalesuReviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Aug 7 2024

In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers determine whether a close bond with a pet reduces the risk of depression and anxiety, particularly among women who have experienced childhood abuse.

Study: Pet Attachment and Anxiety and Depression in Middle-Aged and Older Women. Image Credit: PeopleImages.com / Yuri A / Shutterstock.com

Can pets improve depression and anxiety?

Depression and anxiety are prevalent among women, with 21.8% of midlife and older women in the United States experiencing depressive symptoms in the past two weeks as compared to 15% of men. Moreover, anxiety symptoms are reported by 19% of women and 11.9% of men. Modifiable social, behavioral, and health determinants, including gender, influence the burden of psychological disorders.

Previous studies on depression and anxiety among pet owners show mixed results due to methodological issues. Thus, further research is needed to clarify the protective role of pet attachment against depression and anxiety, particularly among high-risk subpopulations, as well as address methodological issues in previous studies.

About the study

In 2013, 688 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS2) were invited to join the Mind Body Study (MBS) to examine how psychosocial factors affect cancer progression biomarkers. As compared to NHS2, MBS participants were more likely to be on psychotropic medications but less likely to have hypertension and diabetes. The study protocol was accepted by the institutional review board of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, with informed consent indicated by questionnaire return.

Study participants reported pet ownership and completed the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS) to assess pet attachment. Depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scales. Comparatively, anxiety was measured using the Crown Crisp Experiential Index phobic anxiety subscale (CCI) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), with primary analysis using averaged values and a global measure derived from z-scores.

Secondary analyses defined dichotomous outcomes for clinically relevant symptoms using established cutoff values. Covariates included age, body mass index (BMI), life-threatening events, marital status, stressful events, childhood abuse, alcohol consumption, social integration, physical activity, and mindfulness.

Multivariable generalized linear and logistic regression models were used and adjusted for covariates.

Study findings 

The study cohort comprised 214 MBS participants who reported pet ownership at least once, with a mean age of 60.8 years. Compared to all invited participants, respondents were more likely to be White and have a lower BMI. Those who responded to the survey were also less likely to have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and experience childhood abuse.

The exposed group included 140 participants who provided at least one LAPS assessment, while 74 women who declared not owning a pet at least once constituted the unexposed reference group. The averaged LAPS measure indicated high attachment among the study sample.

Study participants with cat attachments were more likely to have experienced life-threatening events and less likely to have experienced childhood abuse as compared to those with dog attachments. These individuals also had higher median measures of depression and anxiety and were more likely to experience clinically significant symptoms of these conditions.

Overall, greater pet attachment was associated with lower anxiety symptoms and depression, except for the CCI scale. Statistically significant associations were observed with the GAD-7.

Higher dog attachment correlated with lower mean scores on the CESD-10, overall z-score for anxiety and depression, and GAD-7. No significant mediating effects were observed in the multivariable model for any outcome variables among participants with dog attachments. No significant associations between cat attachment, depression, and anxiety were observed.

Restricting the analyses to those with histories of childhood abuse reduced the sample to 156 women, which revealed stronger point estimates for associations between pet attachment and GAD-7, CESD-10, and K6 scores. In this high-risk subset, results for participants with dog attachments were similar to the primary analyses, whereas associations between cat attachment, depression, and anxiety remained nonsignificant. Moreover, the interaction between childhood abuse and LAPS was not significant.

Analyses among married women showed no significant differences from the overall results.

Conclusions

Higher attachment to pets, particularly dogs, significantly correlated with lower anxiety and depression symptoms, with stronger associations observed among women with histories of childhood physical or sexual abuse.

According to Bowlby’s attachment theory, interactions with primary attachment figures establish attachment styles, which influence mental health. Secure attachment styles in adults are associated with better mental health, whereas insecure styles increase the risk of depression and anxiety.

The study findings extend attachment theory to human-animal bonds, thus suggesting that pets may compensate for insecure human attachments. Despite modest effect sizes, these observations highlight the potential mental health benefits of pet attachment in high-risk populations.