Theoretical Foundations to the Impact of Dog-Related Activities on Human Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction and Eudaimonic Well-Being

Barcelos, Ana Maria; Kargas, Niko; Maltby, John; Hall, Sophie; Assheton, Phil; Mills, Daniel S.

Abstract

Cross-sectional comparisons of well-being between dog owners and non-owners commonly generate inconsistent results. Focusing on the uniqueness of the relationship might help address this issue and provide a stronger foundation for dog-related psychotherapeutic interventions. This study aims to evaluate the impact of dog-related activities (e.g., exercising the dog) on owner hedonic well-being, life satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being. It was also hypothesised that psychological closeness to the dog would affect these well-being outcomes. For this study, 1030 dog owners aged over 18 years old answered an online questionnaire about the impact of 15 groups of dog-related activities on their well-being. Ordinal regressions were used to estimate the mean response (and its uncertainty) for each outcome, while conditioning for psychological closeness to the dog and controlling for several key covariates. Tactile interactions and dog playing were significantly more beneficial than other activities for hedonic well-being, and dog training and dog presence for eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, dog health issues and behavioural problems were linked to decrements in these well-being outcomes. Higher psychological closeness to the dog predicted greater improvement in well-being in positive dog-related activities. Our quantitative study validates the general findings of previous qualitative work and lays the groundwork for future longitudinal studies.

Citation

Barcelos, A. M., Kargas, N., Maltby, J., Hall, S., Assheton, P., & Mills, D. S. (2021). Theoretical Foundations to the Impact of Dog-Related Activities on Human Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction and Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), Article 12382. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312382

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 22, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2021
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 23, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 23, 2022
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Print ISSN: 1661-7827
• Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 23
• Article Number: 12382
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312382
• Keywords: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7646233
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/23/12382