The Role of Pet Ownership in Mental Health of Children with Diabetes and Impact on Parental Stress
Authors:
Noa Mills, OT/s, Erin King, MS, & Megan Mueller, PhD
Abstract:
Children with diabetes are a higher risk for mental health challenges. This study assessed if pet
ownership in diabetic children was associated with anxiety/depression, emotional regulation,
parental stress, and A1C. Data were obtained from a subsample of youth from the Adolescent
Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study with diabetes (n=80). There were no statistically
significant relationships between pet ownership and any of the outcome variables. There was a
non-significant but medium effect for pet ownership predicting one aspect of emotion regulation
and A1C levels in a smaller subsample (n=10). In the full sample (n=9,802), there was a
significant difference between pet owners and non-pet owners on geographical diabetes
prevalence where pet owners were more likely to live in communities with lower rates of
diabetes.
Key Words:
Pet Ownership, Diabetes, Mental Health