The impact of pet ownership on self esteem, life satisfaction and personality
Authors
Connaughton, Leda Juliana
Issue Date
2016
Degree
BA (Hons) in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effects of pet ownership on self-esteem, life satisfaction and personality in pet and non-pet owners. Participants were (N=100) in total with (N=71) females and (N=29) males. Participants were asked demographic questions along with three self-report measures. The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSE; Rosenberg, 1965) was used to measure participant’s self-esteem. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) was used to measure subject’s life satisfaction. The Big Five Inventory (BFI; John & Srivastava, 1999) was used to measure the personalities of participants. Independent sample t-tests found no significant differences between pet and non-pet owners in relation to levels of self-esteem as well as personality. In addition, a Mann Whitney U test showed no significance differences in life satisfaction between pet and non-pet owners. These findings and the implications of the findings are discussed in greater detail. Author keywords: pet ownership