The Science Behind Pets and Mental Health
Pets have been known for providing companionship and comfort, but recent studies and research have shown that they have a crucial role in supporting mental health and wellness in numerous ways, especially for teenagers and kids. Interactions with animals/pets have been seen to have significant impacts on an individual’s stress and their overall mood. Spending time with pets has been shown to notably decrease levels of cortisol, a hormone that is produced in response to large amounts of stress while increasing the production of the “feel-good hormone” serotonin, a hormone that causes you to feel more focused, happier and just calmer overall, hence the name feel-good hormone. Along with that, oxytocin AKA the “love hormone” is also often simultaneously released, this hormone is released when positive interactions occur and is often associated with trust, happiness, or empathy. Pets can often give comfort in high-stress or anxiety situations, in fact, the sole act of just petting an animal has been seen to significantly calm nerves and even lower blood pressure.
How Pets Provide Comfort
Pets have the ability to offer unconditional love and companionship to an individual, especially during difficult times such as when faced with hardship, sadness, anxiety, or loneliness, feelings that are all extremely common during someone’s childhood/teenage years. In contrast to human relationships where they come with certain pressures or expectations, pets offer unconditional and consistent love/companionship. That isn’t to say human friendships should totally be replaced with your pets or that one may be more valuable than the other; they both have different roles. An example of this would be if a child is struggling with anxiety there is a chance that they would feel relief just by cuddling a pet as it would help give them a better feeling of security, giving them the reassurance they may need. Moreover, the bond created between a child/teenager and their pet may also aid with developing secure attachments, studies have shown that regular and constant interactions with pets help make them more emotionally stable.
Building Responsibility Through Pet Care
Caring for a pet can also help children and teenagers create a sense of responsibility and confidence. From more manageable tasks such as feeding or grooming to more complicated ones such as training the pet, scheduling vet visits, and creating a schedule that works for both the owners and the pet, taking part in caring for a pet allows them to feel more needed and capable. One of my main sources for this article, La Jolla Mental Health, emphasizes how giving your children/teenagers particular tasks can help them develop a sense of accomplishment, as they see how large of an impact their efforts have on the pet overall. To add onto that, a large number of pets require some sort of routines such as regular feeding times, daily walks/exercise, and preplanned checkups; all these factors help create a sense of structure/routine in a person’s life. This predictability and routine can be particularly helpful for people who may struggle with keeping organized or who may need a little help establishing daily habits.
Pets as Emotional Support Animals(ESAs)
Emotional Support Animals (AKA ESAs) play a crucial role in mental health therapy by providing comfort, companionship, reassurance and just helping out with emotional stability overall. Contrasting to service animals, ESAs do not have set tasks they perform; they help their owners solely through their presence, which has been noticed to reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression which are two _ that are extremely prevalent in our day and age. For children and teenagers specifically in hospitals, many have animal-assisted therapy programs that can help them manage stress, build more emotional resilience, and feel more at ease during their treatments. As mentioned above, studies have shown the positive impact just interactions with pets can have on an individual hormonal level. Therapy animals are often used in schools, hospitals, and other settings in order to support people who are facing mental health issues. This includes how numerous schools have started using therapy dogs to aid with focus, socialization and to reduce anxiety. Hospitals use therapy animals, typically dogs but also include animals such as guinea pigs, bunnies, horses and more to create more comforting environments. Research has shown that animals present in therapeutic settings have been able to develop better emotional regulation, connections and improve their overall social behavior
