IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v14y2017i5p490-d97791.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour

Author

Listed:
  • Roxanne D. Hawkins

    (Clinical and Health Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK)

  • Joanne M. Williams

    (Clinical and Health Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK)

  • Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA)

    (Kingseat Road, Halbeath, Dunfermline KY11 8PQ, Fife, UK)

Abstract

Attachment to pets has an important role in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards animals. This study also examined socio-demographic differences, particularly pet ownership and pet type. A self-report survey of over one thousand 7 to 12 year-olds in Scotland, UK, revealed that the majority of children are strongly attached to their pets, but attachment scores differ depending on pet type and child gender. Analysis revealed that attachment to pets is facilitated by compassion and caring and pet-directed friendship behaviours and that attachment to pets significantly predicts positive attitudes towards animals. The findings have implications for the promotion of prosocial and humane behaviour. Encouraging children to participate in pet care behaviour may promote attachment between children and their pet, which in turn may have a range of positive outcomes for both children (such as reduced aggression, better well-being, and quality of life) and pets (such as humane treatment). This study enhances our understanding of childhood pet attachment and has implications for humane education and promoting secure emotional attachments in childhood.

Suggested Citation

  • Roxanne D. Hawkins & Joanne M. Williams & Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA), 2017. "Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:5:p:490-:d:97791
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/5/490/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/5/490/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Currie, Candace & Molcho, Michal & Boyce, William & Holstein, Bjørn & Torsheim, Torbjørn & Richter, Matthias, 2008. "Researching health inequalities in adolescents: The development of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Family Affluence Scale," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1429-1436, March.
    2. Ferran Marsa-Sambola & Janine Muldoon & Joanne Williams & Alistair Lawrence & Melanie Connor & Candace Currie, 2016. "The Short Attachment to Pets Scale (SAPS) for Children and Young People: Development, Psychometric Qualities and Demographic and Health Associations," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 9(1), pages 111-131, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gabriele Schwarzmueller-Erber & Manfred Maier & Michael Kundi, 2020. "Pet Attachment and Wellbeing of Older-Aged Recreational Horseback Riders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-14, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kern, Matthias Robert & Heinz, Andreas & Stevens, Gonneke W.J.M. & Walsh, Sophie D. & Willems, Helmut, 2020. "“What's a normal weight?” – Origin and receiving country influences on weight-status assessment among 1.5 and 2nd generation immigrant adolescents in Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    2. Nielsen, Line & Koushede, Vibeke & Vinther-Larsen, Mathilde & Bendtsen, Pernille & Ersbøll, Annette Kjær & Due, Pernille & Holstein, Bjørn E., 2015. "Does school social capital modify socioeconomic inequality in mental health? A multi-level analysis in Danish schools," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 35-43.
    3. Kim Dalziel & Max Catchpool & Borja García-Lorenzo & Inigo Gorostiza & Richard Norman & Oliver Rivero-Arias, 2020. "Feasibility, Validity and Differences in Adolescent and Adult EQ-5D-Y Health State Valuation in Australia and Spain: An Application of Best–Worst Scaling," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 38(5), pages 499-513, May.
    4. Jaroslava Voráčová & Erik Sigmund & Dagmar Sigmundová & Michal Kalman, 2016. "Family Affluence and the Eating Habits of 11- to 15-Year-Old Czech Adolescents: HBSC 2002 and 2014," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-11, October.
    5. Corominas, Mari & González-Carrasco, Mònica & Casas, Ferran, 2021. "Analyzing factors for an optimum play environment through children’s subjective well-being indicators," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    6. Timo-Kolja Pförtner & Bart Clercq & Michela Lenzi & Alessio Vieno & Katharina Rathmann & Irene Moor & Anne Hublet & Michal Molcho & Anton Kunst & Matthias Richter, 2015. "Does the association between different dimension of social capital and adolescent smoking vary by socioeconomic status? a pooled cross-national analysis," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 60(8), pages 901-910, December.
    7. Atif Kukaswadia & Wendy Craig & Ian Janssen & William Pickett, 2012. "Bullying as a mediator of relationships between adiposity status and weapon carrying," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(3), pages 505-512, June.
    8. Elgar, Frank J. & De Clercq, Bart & Schnohr, Christina W. & Bird, Phillippa & Pickett, Kate E. & Torsheim, Torbjørn & Hofmann, Felix & Currie, Candace, 2013. "Absolute and relative family affluence and psychosomatic symptoms in adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 25-31.
    9. Yekaterina Chzhen & Irene Moor & William Pickett & Emilia Toczydlowska & Gonneke Stevens & UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2016. "Family Affluence and Inequality in Adolescent Health and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the HBSC study 2002-2014," Papers inwopa836, Innocenti Working Papers.
    10. De Clercq, B. & Vyncke, V. & Hublet, A. & Elgar, F.J. & Ravens-Sieberer, U. & Currie, C. & Hooghe, M. & Ieven, A. & Maes, L., 2012. "Social capital and social inequality in adolescents’ health in 601 Flemish communities: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 202-210.
    11. Vander Ploeg, Kerry A. & Maximova, Katerina & McGavock, Jonathan & Davis, Wendy & Veugelers, Paul, 2014. "Do school-based physical activity interventions increase or reduce inequalities in health?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 80-87.
    12. Marta Malinowska-Cieślik & Joanna Mazur & Hanna Nałęcz & Agnieszka Małkowska-Szkutnik, 2019. "Social and Behavioral Predictors of Adolescents’ Positive Attitude towards Life and Self," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-13, November.
    13. Reiss, Franziska, 2013. "Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 24-31.
    14. Michael Mu, Guanglun, 2024. "Groupings between floating children and urban children: A Bourdieusian social network analysis of physical and social distance in space," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    15. Klocke, Andreas & Stadtmüller, Sven, 2024. "Two generations later: New evidence on health equalisation in youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    16. Gabriel Fernandez de Grado & Virginie Ehlinger & Emmanuelle Godeau & Catherine Arnaud & Cathy Nabet & Nadia Benkirane-Jessel & Anne-Marie Musset & Damien Offner, 2021. "Changes in tooth brushing frequency and its associated factors from 2006 to 2014 among French adolescents: Results from three repeated cross sectional HBSC studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-12, March.
    17. Heidi Carlerby & Eija Viitasara & Anders Knutsson & Katja Gillander Gådin, 2013. "How Bullying Involvement is Associated with the Distribution of Parental Background and With Subjective Health Complaints Among Swedish Boys and Girls," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 111(3), pages 775-783, May.
    18. Ferdinand Salonna & Andrea Geckova & Ivan Zezula & Maria Sleskova & Johan Groothoff & Sijmen Reijneveld & Jitse Dijk, 2012. "Does social support mediate or moderate socioeconomic differences in self-rated health among adolescents?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(3), pages 609-617, June.
    19. Sweeting, Helen & Hunt, Kate, 2014. "Adolescent socio-economic and school-based social status, health and well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 39-47.
    20. Petr Badura & Erik Sigmund & Andrea Madarasova Geckova & Dagmar Sigmundova & Jan Sirucek & Jitse P van Dijk & Sijmen A Reijneveld, 2016. "Is Participation in Organized Leisure-Time Activities Associated with School Performance in Adolescence?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:5:p:490-:d:97791. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.