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The mediation by repetitive thoughts of the association between animal company and mental health

Fryns, Delphine
(2023)

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Details

Supervisors
Agrigoroaei, Stefan
Faculty
Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille
Degree label
Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, à finalité spécialisée
Abstract
There is a long tradition of research on the benefits of animal company in daily life and therapy. However, we need to better understand the processes mediating the effects of animal company on mental health because findings are ambivalent, and clear guidelines become necessary in justice, education, and therapy. Among possible mediators, qualitative studies report the perceived importance of repetitive thoughts, but they remain unstudied quantitatively (Hawkins et al., 2021). The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of repetitive thoughts between animal company and mental health, through the scan of Kinderman’s model. This model emphasizes that bio-psycho-social contexts (e.g. animal company) influence mental health only through psychological processes. Hypotheses are that living with an animal is correlated with less unconstructive repetitive thoughts and more constructive repetitive thoughts, leading to positive indirect consequences on mental health. Data were collected by administering the Mini-Cert, Pet Attachment and Life Scale (PALS), Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) on French-speaking adults of different ages via Qualtrics (an online questionnaire), and paper completion. We recruited 430 subjects aged from 18 to 85 years old (M = 26.89, SD = 14.24). Our outcomes do not support our hypothesis. Animal company is associated with more dysfunctional repetitive thoughts, which is only a mediator for stress. If results are replicated, animal-assisted therapy would not be a valid therapy for repetitive thoughts.

Citations

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Fryns, D. (2023). The mediation by repetitive thoughts of the association between animal company and mental health. https://dial-mem.test.bib.ucl.ac.be/handle/2078.2/34913