Canine Comfort: The Protective Effects of Dog Ownership and Support for Victimized Adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite anecdotal and empirical evidence that pets are beneficial for mental health, little is understood about these relationships in adolescents. This study examined the moderating effect of family dog ownership and perceived dog support on the relationship between social victimization and mental health complaints in adolescents. Adolescents (n = 246; 106 boys, 140 girls) and their parents completed measures of peer victimization and mental health complaints. Additionally, adolescents provided information about the number and type of pets in the home. A total of 131 lived with a dog; 105 chose a dog as their favorite pet. Adolescents who lived with a pet completed a measure of perceived support from their favorite animal. Living with a family dog moderated the influences of social victimization on mental health problems, especially internalizing problems, such that the relationship between victimization and mental health problems was weaker for those living with a dog. Perceived dog support further moderated the relationship between victimization and total problems, anxious/depression, thought problems, attention problems, and aggressive behavior, such that the magnitude of the relationship between victimization and these variables was weaker when more dog support was perceived. Results suggest that perceived support can be derived from a family pet and may buffer against the negative influence of peer victimization.