The Role of Pet Companionship in Online and Offline Social Interactions in Adolescence
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The Role of Pet Companionship in Online and Offline Social Interactions in Adolescence Linda Charmaraman1 · Megan K. Mueller2 · Amanda M. Richer1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Adolescence is a prime developmental period to explore human-pet relationships and social competence, given that teens are becoming more autonomous, focusing on other attachment figures such as peers, romantic partners, and pets. Social technology is another salient developmental forum for enacting socially competent behaviors. Given the amount of time spent with social technologies (e.g., texting, gaming, browsing) in the adolescent years, we predicted strong associations between the quality of human-pet relationships, social competence, and social technology use. We analyzed a sample of 700 middle school students aged 11–16 (average age = 12.7) in the Northeast. We used logistic and linear regression models to explore how pet companionship is associated with social technology use and the quality of online social connections Adolescents with dog companions were more likely to check social media more frequently, give and receive online social support, and feel less social isolation. The more time spent with a pet, the more likely the adolescent played online games for leisure and browsed the Internet about animals. The more attached one was to a pet companion, the more likely an adolescent provided and received online social support. Keywords Pet companionship · Social interactions · Adolescent · Social media Early adolescence is a particularly vulnerable age for social and emotional difficulties, in which many young people experience a drop in self-esteem, weaker academic performance, and increased anxiety and competition with others (Brinthaupt & Lipka, 2012). Social media, a pervasive digital context in adolescence, can facilitate or hinder progress toward healthy social and emotional interactions (Charmaraman, Bickham, & Sode, 2020). Another longstanding source of social and emotional support for adolescents comes from pet companionship. Human-animal interactions (HAI) have the potential to benefit adolescent health as children and adolescents report strong emotional ties with their pets, relying on them as playmates and confidantes (Kidd & Kidd, 1985; Melson, 1988), and the presence of pets has been demonstrated to buffer perceived social stress (Kertes * Linda Charmaraman [email protected] 1
Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Rd, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
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et al., 2017). Teen interactions with social technologies and interactions with animals have both been acknowledged as potential sources of social and emotional support though often neglected by social work research. This study takes an ecological approach to examining understudied contexts for the social and emotional wellbeing of adolescents,
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