Association between dog ownership and mental health among community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Poor mental health in later adulthood poses a significant public health challenge. The association between dog ownership and apathy and depressive symptoms among older adults remains under-researched. We aimed to examine the relationship between dog ownership and apathy and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 722 community-dwelling adults (356 women) aged ≥65 years. Data on dog ownership were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Apathy and depressive symptoms were defined as scores ≥16 on the Japanese version of the Starkstein Apathy Scale and ≥40 on the Self-Rating Depression Scale, respectively. Associations were analyzed using logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and multimorbidity. Results: Dog ownership was reported by 57 participants (7.9%). The high apathy and depressive symptom groups comprised 230 (31.9%) and 224 (31.0%) participants, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that dog ownership was associated with a significantly lower prevalence of apathy (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.97) compared with dog non-ownership. No association was observed between dog ownership status and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Dog ownership was associated with lower odds of apathy among community-dwelling older adults, suggesting a potential role in maintaining motivation in this population.