Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34359212›Full record

ArticleAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2021

The Psychosocial Influence of Companion Animals on Positive and Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Lori R Kogan, Jennifer Currin-McCulloch, Cori Bussolari, Wendy Packman, Phyllis Erdman

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. The Impact of Pet Videos on Emotional Face Processing.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026
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  7. Perceived stress levels of pet and non-pet owners in Cebu, Philippines.Journal of advanced veterinary and animal research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Lori R KoganClinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5816-9672
Jennifer Currin-McCullochSchool of Social Work, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Cori BussolariCounseling Psychology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA.
Wendy PackmanDepartment of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
Phyllis ErdmanCollege of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The initial months of COVID-19 forced people to quickly adapt to dramatic changes to their daily lives. As a result of the inevitable decrease in access to social support available during the lockdown phase of COVID-19, countless individuals relied upon their companion dogs and cats. Given the strong connections people often have with their companion animals, this study hypothesized that companion dogs and cats would positively impact guardians' mental health. Anonymous, cross-sectional online surveys were used to test this premise. A total of 5061 responses, primarily females (89%) from the United States (84%), were analyzed. Results suggest that companion animals played a critical role in helping reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and loneliness for a majority of pet guardians. Companion animals also helped increase guardians' experiences of self-compassion, ability to maintain a regular schedule, feel a sense of purpose and meaning, and cope with uncertainty. This was most pronounced for women under the age of 40 who were highly bonded to their companion animal. In conclusion, our study suggests that a companion dog or cat can buffer the effects of extreme stress and social isolation as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indexed as

anxietycatcompanion animalCOVID-19depressiondogpsychosocial

Identifiers

PMID34359212
PMCPMC8300185

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.