Pets Make Good Roommates
Pets are good medicine for college students experiencing stress, according to a new study. We have known this for the elderly, the sick and the housebound, but we forget about college students.
That's not too surprising, since pets have long been known to comfort the elderly or the chronically ill.
I am a pet lover and I am hoping that this kind of study will provide one more incentive for colleges to participate in a growing trend to allow students to have pets on campus.
For my own son, having a pet was a big turn around. He had to move off campus, so it was after his Freshman year, but the activity with the dog was all healthy. He went to dog parks, the beach and long walks. His dog went with him when he did errands. It filled a void of loneliness that I had never considered. I believe it also gave him a reason to go home when he may have been looking for companionship in the wrong places.
About 18 percent of the college students surveyed for the study said their pets helped them cope during difficult times.
That may be because pets provide a familiar face for students who are away from home for the first time.
Although not a substitute for human interaction, students who have pets are less likely to feel lonely or depressed, according to the study.
"We might not think of college students as being lonely, but a lot of freshman and sophomores are in an early transition from living at home to living in dorms or off-campus," Sara Staats, lead author of the study and professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State's Newark Campus, stated in a press release. "College is a very stressful environment for them and sometimes they can feel isolated or overwhelmed with the change."
About 350 college students and nearby community members participated in the study, which was recently published in the journal Society & Animals.
The top reason for having a pet? Avoiding loneliness.
It makes sense to me but it also adds another responsibility to the student. Caring for a pet cannot be taken lightly but it remains a consideration for the right kind of student.
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