What is Social Support Information leading a person to believe that she is cared for and loved, este

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Animals as Social Support Providers
Understanding the Value of Human-Companion Animal
Relationships
James A. Serpell, MA., PhD. Center for the
Interaction of Animals Society, School of
Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
USA.
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US Pet Population Trends 1967-1999(Since 1967
the dog and cat population of the USA has almost
tripled in size. In 1999 there were more than
twice as many dogs and cats perperson than there
were in 1967).
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Pet Ownership is Costly

• Americans spend more than 8.4 billion annually
  on prepared pet foods.
• And approximately 11 billion on pet health care.
• About 800,000 people require medical treatment
  for dog bites each year in the USA.

(Source NY Times, June 7, 1998 US News and
World Report, May 17, 1999).
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So why do people keep pets?(theories)

• Because we cant help it pet keeping is an
  innate parental response triggered by the
  infantile appearance and behavior of some
  animals.
• To compensate for social deficits pets are
  person substitutes.
• Because of an innate predisposition to attend to,
  and affiliate with, life and life-like processes
  Biophilia.
• Because pet keeping is good for us relationships
  with pets are health enhancing.

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Social parasitism (Right) European cuckoo chick
(Cuculus canorius) in a hedge sparrows nest.
(Below) Pug dog in a humans nest.
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The pet as person substitute idea has been
around for a long time
Caesar once, seeing some wealthy strangers at
Rome, carrying up and down with them in their
arms and bosoms young puppy dogs and monkeys,
embracing and making much of them, had occasion
not unnaturally to ask whether the women in their
country were not used to bear children by that
prince-like reprimand gravely reflecting upon
persons who spend and lavish upon brute beasts
that affection and kindness which nature has
implanted in us to be bestowed on those of our
own kind. Plutarch, c. AD 46-120.
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The Biophilia Hypothesis (Kellert Wilson,
1993)

• Original discussion (Wilson, 1984) implied
  affiliation as well as attention.
• Recent definitions have avoided implying any
  inherent tendency to affiliate with animals.
• At best, suggests that people (esp. children) are
  biologically predisposed to attend to the
  activities of animals.

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Research on the health effects of pet
ownership falls into three main categories 1.
Studies of peoples immediate physiological
responses (heart rate and blood pressure) to
interactions with animals. 2. Epidemiological
comparisons of pet owning and non-owning
populations. 3. Randomized, controlled trials of
pets as a form of healthcare intervention.
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What have these studies shown?

• Sustained reductions in reactivity to
  experimental stressors.
• Less deterioration in health following negative
  life events (e.g. bereavement).
• Reduced physiological risk factors for
  cardiovascular disease.
• Improved survivorship with cardiovascular
  disease.
• Various improvements in mental health
  (depression, self esteem, well-being, etc.).
• Attached owners do better than unattached owners.
• Dog owners do better than cat owners.

These results are consistent with the view that
pets constitute a form of social support
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What is Social Support?Information leading a
person to believe that (s)he is cared for and
loved, esteemed, and a member of a network of
mutual obligations (Cobb, S. 1976. Psychosomatic
Med., 38 300-24). In practice, SS tends to be
broken down into the following constituents

• Emotional support the sense of being able to
  turn to others for comfort in times of stress
  the feeling of being cared for by others.
• Social integration the feeling of being an
  accepted part of an established group or social
  network.
• Esteem support the sense of receiving positive,
  self-affirming feedback from others regarding
  ones value, competence, abilities or worth.
• Practical, instrumental or informational support
  the knowledge that others will provide financial,
  practical or informational assistance when
  needed.
• Opportunities to provide care and protection the
  sense of being needed or depended upon by others.

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Human social support factors have been shown to
protect against

• Cardiovascular disease
• Most forms of cancer
• Strokes
• Diabetes
• Rheumatic fever
• Nephritis
• Pneumonia
• Depression and suicide.

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What evidence do we have that pets serve as
social support providers?

• Peoples attachments for their dogs are strongly
  influenced by the animals behavior.
• (Serpell, J.A. 1996. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 47
  49-60).
• Pet owners whose pets are behaviorally
  compatible report better mental and physical
  health than those with less compatible pets.
• (Budge, R.C. et al. 1998. Society Animals,
  6(3), 219-234)
• Positive relationship provisions provided by pets
  are comparable to, and sometimes better than,
  those provided by other people.
• (Bonas et al. 2000. In Companion Animals Us,
  eds. A.L. Podberscek et al., pp. 209-236,
  Cambridge CUP).
• Negative relationship provisions derived from
  pets are less extreme than those derived from
  other people.
• (Bonas et al. 2000. In Companion Animals Us,
  eds. A.L. Podberscek et al., pp. 209-236,
  Cambridge CUP).

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Conclusions

• Humans are intensely sociable animals.
• The evolutionary advantages of human sociality
  are so great that natural selection has favored
  individuals who seek out social support,
  particularly during times of stress, and who
  experience distress when socially isolated.
• Lack of social support limits our ability to cope
  with stress, and thus increases our vulnerability
  to ill health.
• Pets are able to provide many of the social
  provisions derived from human social support.
• Social support provided by pets enhances our
  ability to cope with stress, and thereby improves
  our health.

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Pet ownership is like marriage not all
human-animal bonds are made in heaven.
But.