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. 2019 Feb 19;9(2):e024512.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024512.

Depression and anxiety in pet owners after a diagnosis of cancer in their pets: a cross-sectional study in Japan

Yuko Nakano  1   2 , Masato Matsushima  2 , Azusa Nakamori  1 , Junshiro Hiroma  3 , Eiji Matsuo  4 , Hidetaka Wakabayashi  2   5 , Shuhei Yoshida  2   6 , Hiroko Ichikawa  2   7 , Makoto Kaneko  2   8 , Rieko Mutai  2   9 , Yoshifumi Sugiyama  2   10 , Eriko Yoshida  2   11 , Tetsuya Kobayashi  1
Affiliations

Depression and anxiety in pet owners after a diagnosis of cancer in their pets: a cross-sectional study in Japan

Yuko Nakano et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the presence and predictors of depression and anxiety in pet owners after a diagnosis of cancer in their pets.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A veterinary medical centre specialised in oncology for dogs and cats and two primary veterinary clinics in Japan.

Participants: The participants for analysis were 99 owners of a pet with cancer diagnosis received in the past 1-3 weeks and 94 owners of a healthy pet.

Main outcome measures: Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess depression and anxiety. Depression was assessed using the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and anxiety was measured by using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form JYZ.

Results: Depression scores were significantly higher in owners of a pet with cancer than owners of a healthy pet, even after adjustment for potential confounders (p<0.001). Within the owners of a pet with cancer, depression was significantly more common in those who were employed than those who were unemployed (p=0.048). State anxiety scores were significantly higher in owners of a pet with cancer than owners of a healthy pet, even after adjustment for potential confounders, including trait-anxiety scores (p<0.001). Furthermore, in owners of a pet with cancer, state anxiety was higher in owners with high trait anxiety (p<0.001) and in owners whose pets had a poor prognosis (p=0.027).

Conclusion: The results indicate that some owners tended to become depressed and anxious after their pets had received a diagnosis of cancer. Employment may be a predictor of depression. High trait anxiety and a pet with a poor prognosis may increase owners' state anxiety. Including the pet in a family genogram and attention to the pet's health condition may be important considerations for family practice.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; family genogram; family practice; pet cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: MM received a lecture fee from the Japan Small Animal Medical Center, MM is an adviser of the Centre for Family Medicine Development practice-based research network, MM received a lecture fee and lecture travel fee from the Centre for Family Medicine Development, MM received a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and MM is a Program Director of the Jikei Clinical Research Program for Primary-care.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) scores in the owners of a health pet and the owners of a pet with cancer. The solid line shows the median CES-D score in each group. The dotted line shows the cut-off point for depression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of state anxiety (A) and trait anxiety (B) scores in the owners of a healthy pet and the owners of a pet with cancer. The solid lines show the median anxiety score in each group. (A) The median state anxiety score was moderate in the owners of a pet with cancer, but very low in the owners of a healthy pet. (B) The median trait anxiety score in the owners of a pet with cancer was higher than in the owners of a healthy pet.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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