Pet ownership is associated with harmful alcohol use among a cohort of people with HIV: a brief research report.

Autor: Applebaum JW; Department of Environmental and Global Health, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States., McDonald SE; Denver Zoological Foundation, Denver, CO, United States., Porges EC; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States., Widmeyer M; Unconditional Love, Inc., Melbourne, FL, United States., Fabelo HE; School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States., Kertes DA; Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States., Cook RL; Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Frontiers in psychiatry [Front Psychiatry] 2023 Oct 16; Vol. 14, pp. 1258850. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Oct 16 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1258850
Abstrakt: Research suggests that people with HIV (PWH), who are at high risk for alcohol and substance use, may rely on relationships with pets for companionship and stress relief. There may be common mechanisms underlying both substance use and attachment to pets. The purpose of this brief research report was to compare alcohol and substance use behaviors between pet owners and non-owners among a cohort of PWH. Participants ( n  = 735) in a survey study of PWH in Florida were asked about their alcohol and substance use behaviors, whether they owned a pet, and their sociodemographic characteristics. We used bivariate analyses and logistic regression to examine differences in alcohol and substance use behaviors between pet owners and non-owners. Pet owners had higher mean AUDIT scores than non-owners ( M pet  = 5, M nopet  = 4, z = -3.07, p = 0.002). Pet owners were more likely than non-owners to use alcohol in a harmful or hazardous way (AUDIT score ≥ 8), above and beyond sociodemographic characteristics ( OR  = 1.65, p  = 0.052). Pet owners were more likely to have ever used most substances than non-owners, and more likely to currently use alcohol ( X 2 (1) = 12.97, p  = 0.000), marijuana or hashish ( X 2 (1) = 6.82, p  = 0.009), and amyl nitrate/poppers ( X 2 (1) = 11.18, p  = 0.001). Pet owners may be more likely to use alcohol and other substances at higher rates than non-owners. Reasons for owning a pet and using substances may be similar, such as coping with stress.
Competing Interests: SM was employed by Denver Zoological Foundation. MW was employed by Unconditional Love, Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Applebaum, McDonald, Porges, Widmeyer, Fabelo, Kertes and Cook.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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