Objective: Loneliness can have detrimental consequences for adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Previous, international, investigations of attachment to companion animals have reported positive effects of such bonds on adolescent loneliness. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between companion animal attachment and loneliness among Australian adolescents. Method: A geographically diverse sample of Australian adolescents (n = 283) was gathered via an online survey. Participants responded to demographic and animal ownership variables as well as measures of companion animal attachment, social support and loneliness. Results: A small, negative but non-significant relationship between companion animal attachment and loneliness was found suggesting that, as adolescents' attachment scores rose, loneliness scores tended to decrease. Further analyses revealed an unexpected moderating effect of ownership level on the relationship between companion animal attachment and loneliness. While a significant negative relationship between companion animal attachment and loneliness was observed for adolescents with a family pet, a subset of primary owners with extreme levels of attachment, heightened loneliness and lower social support scores was noted. Conclusion: For many adolescents having a family or shared pet may provide a positive influence on loneliness levels. However, parallels with literature presenting adverse effects of extreme attachment to companion animals within older populations suggest that for some adolescents the relationship is more complex.

中文翻译：

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澳大利亚青少年对伴侣动物的依恋和孤独感

目的：孤独会对青少年的心理健康和幸福产生不利影响。以前，国际上对伴侣动物依恋的调查报告了这种联系对青少年孤独感的积极影响。目前的研究旨在确定澳大利亚青少年的伴侣动物依恋与孤独感之间的关系。方法：通过在线调查收集了来自不同地域的澳大利亚青少年样本（n = 283）。参与者对人口统计和动物所有权变量以及伴侣动物依恋、社会支持和孤独感的测量做出了回应。结果：发现伴侣动物依恋与孤独感之间存在小的、负向但不显着的关系，这表明随着青少年依恋得分的上升，孤独感得分趋于下降。进一步的分析揭示了所有权水平对伴侣动物依恋与孤独感之间关系的意想不到的调节作用。虽然在有家庭宠物的青少年中观察到伴侣动物依恋与孤独感之间存在显着的负相关关系，但注意到有一部分主要主人的依恋程度极高、孤独感加剧和社会支持得分较低。结论：对于许多拥有家庭或共享宠物的青少年来说，可能会对孤独感水平产生积极影响。然而，与文献中提出的极端依恋在老年人群中的伴侣动物的不利影响的相似之处表明，对于一些青少年来说，这种关系更为复杂。