ArticleInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2026
Dog Companionship and Loneliness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Multicentre, Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesLoneliness and social isolation are major public health concerns among older adults and are associated with depression, cognitive decline, frailty, and loss of independence. Companion animals (and dogs in particular) might mitigate these adverse outcomes by fostering emotional support, physical activity, and social interactions. The objective of the present study aimed to evaluate the association between dog ownership and loneliness in community-dwelling older adults.
methodsC-KDOG is a multicentre, cross-sectional study conducted between September 2020 and April 2023 at seven investigating centers in France. The participants were aged 75 or over and were living at home. Loneliness was assessed on the 11-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. The secondary outcomes included emotional and social loneliness subscores, social isolation (according to the Social Network Index). Associations between dog ownership and loneliness were analyzed using multivariable linear regressions adjusted for sociodemographic, environmental and clinical characteristics.
resultsA total of 160 participants were included, of whom 47 were dog owners (mean age: 82 years; females: 116 (73%); living alone: 79 (49%)). The median overall loneliness scores did not differ significantly when comparing dog owners and non-owners. In adjusted models, however, dog ownership was independently associated with lower loneliness. This association was mainly driven by a lower emotional loneliness subscore. Living alone, frailty, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems were independently associated with a greater level of loneliness. Dog ownership was primarily motivated by companionship (81%). Adverse events (such as falls or bites) were rare (5%).
conclusionsDog ownership was associated with a lower level of emotional loneliness among community-dwelling older adults, independently of living alone frailty and depression. Companion dogs might contribute to emotional well-being in older adults. However, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm causality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.