Influence of pet ownership on self-esteem, life satisfaction and loneliness among over 65s in Ireland
Authors
Mhaistir, Grainne
Issue Date
2013
Degree
Higher Diploma in Arts in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pet ownership on self-‐esteem, life satisfaction and loneliness in pet owners and non-‐owners. Data was collected from 147 participants. Data was gathered by means of self-‐reported questionnaires that assessed self-‐esteem, life satisfaction and loneliness. An independent sample t-‐tests showed that there was a significant difference in levels of loneliness experienced by pet owners and non-‐owners (t (137) = -2.09, p = .038, 2-tailed). Additional t-tests showed there was no significant difference between pet owners and non-owners on levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed there was no significant difference in loneliness, life satisfaction and self-esteem between owners of different types of pets. Author keywords: life satisfaction, self-esteem, loneliness, over 65's