We are all familiar with the concept of “pet therapy” to improve wellbeing. uOttawa itself has had a fair number of these pet therapy sessions in the past, especially around finals season to help students de-stress. There is some solid science backing up how pets improve one’s mental health and wellbeing, however some studies actually contradict this positive association.

Many studies have looked into relationships between owning pets and their effect on mental health. Companion animals are generally considered to have a positive impact on people’s mental health, especially by reducing loneliness, stress and/or increasing physical activity. Some studies however, show higher levels of depression in pet owners compared to those without pets, so research in this field is quite contradicting. 

In 2022, Matsumura et al decided to explore the impact of pet ownership in maternal women and see how pets impact mothers around the childbirth process. The study used data from 80,824 maternal women participating in Japanese cohort study who were also pet owners. The study specifically focused on women owning cats and dogs. It uses an impressive sample size, but it’s important to note the potential drawbacks of using only Japanese mothers in the study, as responses may differ throughout different cultures.

The results of this study show that dog ownership was associated with reduced risk of depressive symptoms at 1 month and 6 months postpartum, but mothers with dogs also experienced psychological distress at 12 months postpartum. Cat ownership on the other hand was surprisingly associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum and psychological distress in the second/third trimester. Owning both cats and dogs was associated with more risk of psychological distress in the second/third trimester, but the difference between this group and the control was not necessarily drastic.

Overall, dog ownership appears to be a protective factor for mental health problems in women around childbirth, but cat ownership could increase risk of mental health problems. This study interestingly highlights how the type and number of pets owned can change the role pets play in the maternal owner’s mental wellbeing. It also highlights how even if some aspects of mental health, such as depressive symptoms, can be improved with pet ownership, other negative aspects of mental health, such as psychological distress, may be increased. Future studies should also look into the effect of owning a larger variety of pets on maternal mental health and further assess other aspects of mental wellbeing outside of depression and psychological distress. Understanding the impact of a mother’s overall environment on her mental health can be crucial to helping facilitate the often complex and distressing process of carrying out a pregnancy.

Graphics: Anna Do

Source:

Matsumura, Kenta, et al. “Pet Ownership During Pregnancy and Mothers’ Mental Health Conditions up to 1 Year Postpartum: A Nationwide Birth Cohort—the Japan Environment and Children’s Study.” Social Science & Medicine (1982), vol. 309, 2022, pp. 115216–115216, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115216.