Emotional Support Animal

Indication of the potential benefit that pets convey to the experience of mental health comes from
evidence detailing the benefits of pet ownership in relation to stress reduction, improved quality of
life, and pets as promoters of social and community interaction [6–8].

The importance of pets in relation to the provision of emotional work was a recurrent theme in the
numerous qualitative studies included in the review where people reported a profound connection
with their pet [9, 27, 30–32, 38, 39] sometimes preferring relationships with pets over relationships
with other humans

[37] and viewing pets as replacement family members

[32]. The mechanisms through which pets made the perceived contribution to emotional work
seemed to be the provision of a consistent source of comfort and affection [9, 34, 36, 41, 42]. This
constant presence meant that this provision was available instantaneously without request [9, 27,
36, 42]. Pets provided calming support and were perceived to have a ‘sense’ of when it was needed.

Pets were able to provide unique emotional support as a result of their ability to respond to their
owners in an intuitive way, especially in times of crisis and periods of active symptoms [9, 30, 31, 35,
36]. A related impact on loneliness was achieved through physical contact which reduced feelings of
isolation [28, 36], providing a source of physical warmth and companionship [35], and by providing
opportunities for communication [34, 36].

The sentiment of pets being non-judgemental underpins the absence of conditionality, which was a
recurring finding in included studies. Pets provided unconditional love and affection [9, 30, 31, 34,
42] which fostered self acceptance and congruence [28]. Pets constituted a source of support which
people could trust and rely on compared with other social network members [9]; they provided
simple relationships free from conflict [28] and they did not overstep boundaries [31]. The latter
seems to be particularly beneficial for people with Autism [37] and PTSD [30].

By providing unconditional positive regard, pets promoted emotional stability through the regulation
of feelings, management of stress and helping people to cope with difficult life events [27, 42]. For
people living alone, pets provided a source of ‘connectedness’ [27], reassurance, and normalcy [31].

By providing unconditional positive regard, pets promoted emotional stability through the regulation
of feelings, management of stress and helping people to cope with difficult life events [27, 42]. For
people living alone, pets provided a source of ‘connectedness’ [27], reassurance, and normalcy [31].

1
They encouraged their owners to stay in the present avoiding worry and ruminations about past
behaviours [28, 30] or concerns about the future [34]

Despite some inadequacies in the data, this review suggests that pets provide benefits to those with
mental health conditions through the intensity of connectivity with their owners and the
contribution they make to emotional support in times of crises together with their ability to help
manage symptoms when they arise.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions, encompassing a broad
range of negative emotions including distress, fear, or uneasiness. A growing body of evidence
suggests that the human-animal bond can reduce many symptoms of anxiety.

The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy for Anxiety

Many studies investigating the impact of pet ownership and human-animal interaction on anxiety
focus on patients in clinical settings such as hospitals, who are prone to high levels of anxiety.

 In a study of hospitalized patients with heart failure, patients that received a therapy dog
visit for 12 minutes had significantly greater decreases in systolic pulmonary artery pressure
during and after and in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure during and after the
intervention, compared to patients receiving usual care and patients who received visits
from a human volunteer.

o Patients that received a dog therapy visit also had the greatest decrease from
baseline in state anxiety sum score compared with the control groups. [5]

 A controlled clinical trial examined the impact of animal-assisted therapy on the anxiety
levels of 93 patients in an emergency department of a hospital.

o Researchers found that after exposure to a therapy dog and its handler, anxiety
levels were significantly reduced in the patients.

o In addition, while only one patient in the experiment group (receiving AAT) needed
pain medication, compared to seven patients in the control group (received no
therapy).[6]

 A pilot study conducted to evaluate the effect of dog-assisted therapy for individuals with a
history of anxiety related to dental visits examined the impact of a therapy dog’s presence
during routine dental cleaning. To test the hypothesis, the study included self-assessments of
the level of anxiety perceived by the patient in previous experiences at the dentist and the
current experience assisted by 

o The presence of the therapy dog was found to significantly decrease patients’
anxiety levels, in addition to lowering their blood pressure. [7]

Research also indicates that petting and observing companion animals can also play a role in
reducing anxiety.

2
 o In two separate experiments, participants of a mixed method models study were
asked to watch identically equipped fish tanks for five minutes in each of three
conditions: (1) live fish, (2) plants and water, and (3) empty tank.

 Results showed greater perceptions of relaxation and mood, and less anxiety
during or after viewing the live fish condition, compared with the other
conditions.

 Researchers conclude that likely explanations for this reduced stress include
the fish providing a pleasant distraction, and a possible form of
companionship.[8]

o Results of a study of 58 non-clinical individuals in a stressful situation demonstrated

 While the anxiety-reducing effect of the petting did not occur when petting
toys in a control group, the effect of petting animals was not limited only to
soft animals, and was also found to hold for hard-shelled animals like a turtle
and, leading researchers to conclude that it was the quality of being alive
rather than the texture of the object that produced the effect. [9]

For more information about anxiety:

 a therapy dog.

In a study published in Animals journal, psychologists tracked two styles of mindfulness with human-
canine pairs during the pandemic lockdown. Some people sat with their animal companion, listening
to a mindfulness recording. They used a feature of their dog as their object of focus, such as their
dog’s fur. In the second style, pet parents spent seven minutes of undivided attention directly
interacting with their dogs in a mindful, focused way.

During the six-week study, participants reported enhanced emotional and spiritual connections with
their dogs as well as feelings of personal happiness, relaxation, and focus. Notably, the benefits
appeared not only during the activities. “Positive aftereffects” were also recounted. Some people
also remarked on witnessing “increased dog happiness.”

In another interspecies mindfulness study, people who previously found practicing mindfulness to be
challenging noted that doing so with a dog made the practice easier and increased their motivation.