ArticleAnnals of general psychiatry2025
Pet ownership and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Annals of general psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Companion animals support human wellbeing and health: evolutionary, behavioral and physiological contexts.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Companion animals and mental health: a narrative synthesis of how pets deliver therapeutic mechanisms outside formal provision.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Cross-species conversations: the development of the AURAL-Pet coding system to capture how people talk to pets in daily life.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association between dog ownership and mental health among community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPet ownership is often believed to confer psychological benefits, such as reducing loneliness and providing emotional support. However, evidence on its relationship with depression is mixed, and no clear consensus currently exists. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between pet ownership and the risk of depression.
methodsA comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following PRISMA guidelines. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched for observational studies assessing the impact of pet ownership on depression. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects models were used to compute pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using STATA-17.
resultsA total of 21 studies involving 159,322 participants were included. Overall, pet ownership was not associated with a significant change in depression risk compared to non-ownership (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.995-1.07). However, sensitivity analyses by pet type revealed that cat ownership was associated with a modestly increased risk of depression (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.09), whereas dog ownership showed no significant association (OR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.789-1.10).
conclusionThis study reveals a complex relationship between pet ownership and depression. Cat ownership is linked to a higher risk, while dog ownership shows mixed results. Overall, pet ownership isn't significantly associated with depression, highlighting the need for further research into its psychosocial dynamics and mental health implications.
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Registered trials
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.