Health Benefits of Animals: Adults

This web site section is made possible by a grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Woman and catAbstracts

  1. Dogs: A Potential Public Health Role to Improve Health and Well-Being . Upton, V. The SCAS Journal, 2005 Autumn; 17(3):2-5.

  2. Relation Between Pet Ownership and Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Healed Myocardial Infarcts . Friedmann, E., Thomas S.A., Stein, P.K., Kleiger, R.E. Am J Cardiol. 2003 Mar 15; 91(6):718-21.
  3. Lung Transplant Recipients Holding Companion Animals: Impact on Physical Health and Quality of LIfe, S. Irani, C. Mahler, L. Goetzmann, EW Russi, and A. Boehler - New! on July 12, 2006
  4. Pet Attachment and Personality Type, D. Bagley and V. Gonsman - New! on July 12, 2006
  5. Effect of Petting a Dog on Immune System Function, C.J. Charnetski; S. Riggers; F.X. Brennan - New! on July 31, 2006
  6. Spouses and Cats and Their Effects on Human Mood, D. Turner, G. Rieger, and L. Gygax - New! on July 12, 2006
  7. The Role of Pets in the Support Networks of People Recovering from Breast Cancer. June McNicholas, Glyn M. Collis, Chris Kent & Michelle Rogers. New!
  8. Dog Ownership and Control of Borderline Hypertension: A Controlled Randomized Trial. K. Allen.
  9. Pet Ownership, But Not ACE Inhibitor Therapy Blunts Home Blood Pressure Response to Mental Stress. K. Allen, J.L. Izzo, and B.E. Shykoff.
  10. Dogs as Catalysts for Social Interactions: Robustness of the Effect. J. McNicholas and G.M. Collis.
  11. AIDS Diagnosis and Depression in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study: The Ameliorating Impact of Pet Ownership. J.M. Siegel, F.J. Angulo, R. Detels, J. Wesch, and A. Mullen.
  12. Social Support and Resting Blood Pressure Among Young and Elderly Women: The Moderating Role of Pet Dogs and Cats. K. Allen, A. Gross, and J. Izzo, Jr.
  13. Anger and Hostility Among Married Couples: Pet Dogs as Moderators of Cardiovascular Reactivity Stress. K. Allen and J. Blascovich.
  14. Animals and Cardiovascular Health, G.L. Jennings.
  15. Loneliness and Pet Ownership Among Single Women. R.L. Zasloff and A.H. Kidd.
  16. Presence of Human Friends and Pet Dogs as Moderators of Autonomic Responses to Stress in Women. K. Allen, J. Blascovich, J. Tomaka, and R. Kelsey.

Man greeted by a dogArticles

  1. Physiological Effects of the Use of a Companion Animal Dog as a Cue to Relaxation in Diagnosed Hypertensives. Sue Todd Schuelke, et al.
  2. What You Already Knew - Fluffy & Fido Are Good for You. Maria Kale.
  3. Does Pet Ownership Reduce Your Risk for Heart Disease?

The following articles are available for download in RTF format. Some articles have figures in GIF format, which will open in your browser. Click on the article or figure name to save the file to your computer or to a disk. After you have saved the file, open the article in a word processor to read or print the article or open the figure in a paint or other program to view or print the figure.

  1. The Role of Pets in Enhancing Human Well-Being: Physiological Effects. Erika Friedmann (74K, RTF).
    [Download figures: Figure 4.1 (32K, GIF), Figure 4.2 (19K, GIF), Figure 4.3 (49K, GIF), Figure 4.4 (25K, GIF), Figure 4.5 (62K, GIF), Figure 4.6 (39K, GIF), Figure 4.7 (31K, GIF), Figure 4.8 (59K, GIF), Figure 4.9 (58K, GIF), Figure 4.10 (32K, GIF), Figures 4.11 and 4.12 (41K, GIF), Figure 4.13 (44K, GIF), Figure 4.14 (32K, GIF), Figure 4.15 (31K, GIF), Figure 4.16 (30K, GIF), Figure 4.17 (36K, GIF), Figure 4.18 (52K, GIF).].
    [Reprinted from The Waltham Book of Human-Animal Interactions: Benefits and Responsibilities. Courtesy of Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition.]
  2. Psychological Health in a Population of Australian Cat Owners. Cheryl M. Straede and G. Richard Gates (71K, RTF).
  3. Evidence for Long Term Effects of Pet Ownership on Human Health. J.A. Serpell (46K, RTF).
    [Download figures: Figure 1 (19K, GIF), Figure 2 (29K, GIF), Figure 3 (77K, GIF), Figure 4 (27K, GIF), Figure 5 (21K, GIF), Figure ABC (86K, GIF).]