Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb 5;18(1):31.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-018-1613-2.

The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence

Helen Louise Brooks  1 , Kelly Rushton  2 , Karina Lovell  2 , Penny Bee  2 , Lauren Walker  2 , Laura Grant  3 , Anne Rogers  4
Affiliations

The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence

Helen Louise Brooks et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: There is increasing recognition of the therapeutic function pets can play in relation to mental health. However, there has been no systematic review of the evidence related to the comprehensive role of companion animals and how pets might contribute to the work associated with managing a long-term mental health condition. The aim of this study was to explore the extent, nature and quality of the evidence implicating the role and utility of pet ownership for people living with a mental health condition.

Methods: A systematic search for studies exploring the role of companion animals in the management of mental health conditions was undertaken by searching 9 databases and undertaking a scoping review of grey literature from the earliest record until March 2017. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to be published in English and report on primary data related to the relationship between domestic animal ownership and the management of diagnosable mental health conditions. Synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data was undertaken in parallel using a narrative synthesis informed by an illness work theoretical framework.

Results: A total of 17 studies were included in the review. Quantitative evidence relating to the benefits of pet ownership was mixed with included studies demonstrating positive, negative and neutral impacts of pet ownership. Qualitative studies illuminated the intensiveness of connectivity people with companion animals reported, and the multi-faceted ways in which pets contributed to the work associated with managing a mental health condition, particularly in times of crisis. The negative aspects of pet ownership were also highlighted, including the practical and emotional burden of pet ownership and the psychological impact that losing a pet has.

Conclusion: This review suggests that pets provide benefits to those with mental health conditions. Further research is required to test the nature and extent of this relationship, incorporating outcomes that cover the range of roles and types of support pets confer in relation to mental health and the means by which these can be incorporated into the mainstay of support for people experiencing a mental health problem.

Keywords: Mental health; Narrative synthesis; Networks of support; Personal communities; Pets; Self-management; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart. *Two articles identified through searching of reference lists of included articles so not included in earlier stages of the review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. McManus S, et al. Mental health and wellbeing in England: adult psychiatry morbidity survey 2014. 2016.
    1. WHO . The global burden of disease 2004 update. Geneva: W.H. Organisation; 2008.
    1. WHO . Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010. Geneva: W.H. Organisation; 2011.
    1. Vassilev I, et al. Social networks, social capital and chronic illness self-management: a realist review. Chronic Illness. 2011;7(1):60–86. doi: 10.1177/1742395310383338. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rogers A, et al. Social networks, work and network-based resources for the management of long-term conditions: a framework and study protocol for developing self-care support. Implement Sci. 2011;6(1):56. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-6-56. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types