Pet ownership and psychosocial outcomes among the oldest old in Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings based on the nationally representative "Old Age in Germany (D80+)".

Autor: Hajek A; Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Hamburg, Germany., Peltzer K; Faculty of Public Health, Department of Health Education and Behavioral Sciences, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.; Department of Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.; Department of Psychology, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan., Veronese N; Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy., König HH; Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Hamburg, Germany., Gyasi RM; African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.; Faculty of Health, National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International journal of geriatric psychiatry [Int J Geriatr Psychiatry] 2024 Jul; Vol. 39 (7), pp. e6127.
DOI: 10.1002/gps.6127
Abstrakt: Objectives: To examine the association between pet ownership and psychosocial outcomes among the oldest old in Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods/design: Data from the "Old Age in Germany (D80+)" study were used, a large, nationwide representative study covering both individuals living at home and individuals in nursing homes aged 80 years and above (n = 2867 individuals). The telephone interviews were conducted from May to October 2021. Established tools (e.g., "Short Form of the Depression in Old Age Scale", DIA-S4) were used to quantify the outcomes. Five groups were generated: (1) no pet ownership, (2) having at least one dog (but no other pets), (3) having at least one cat (but no other pets), (4) having at least one other pet (but neither dogs nor cats), (5) having at least two different types of pets (in any combination).
Results: Multiple linear regressions showed that compared to individuals without a pet, individuals having at least one dog had significantly lower loneliness levels (β = -0.21, p < 0.01). In the fully-adjusted models, other forms of pet ownership were not significantly associated with the outcomes examined.
Conclusion: Particularly living with a dog was associated with lower loneliness among the oldest old people in Germany. If living with a dog is in line with the preferences and attitudes of the very old, this could be a strategy for reducing loneliness in this age group.
(© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE