ABSTRACT The association between dog ownership and mental health remains unclear. The primary aim of this study was to investigate this association, while the secondary aim was to examine possible interactions between dog ownership and marital status in relation to mental health. A population sample of 68,362 adults living in England were included in this study. Self-reported information on short-term psychological distress and long-standing mental illness was collected. Multilevel logistical models were used to allow for inter-dependence of participants within the same household. In total, 15,856 (23.2%) participants reported the presence of dog in the household. Dog owners were less likely to report long-standing mental illness than non-owners. An interaction was found between dog ownership and marital status in relation to mental health. In subsequent stratified analyses solitary owners displayed increased odds of short-term psychological distress, whilst companioned owners displayed lower odds of reporting long-standing mental illness. Our findings indicate a complex relationship between dog ownership and mental health, and suggest that psychological health attributes of dog ownership may vary based on marital status. Further investigation is warranted, especially longitudinal studies which consider variation in dog-ownership behaviors.

中文翻译：

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养狗与心理健康有关吗？一项针对居住在英格兰的 68,362 名成年人的人口研究

摘要 养狗与心理健康之间的关联尚不清楚。这项研究的主要目的是调查这种关联，而次要目的是检查养狗和婚姻状况之间可能与心理健康相关的相互作用。本研究包括居住在英格兰的 68,362 名成年人的人口样本。收集了有关短期心理困扰和长期精神疾病的自我报告信息。多层次的后勤模型被用于允许同一家庭内的参与者相互依赖。总共有 15,856 (23.2%) 名参与者报告说家里有狗。养狗的人比不养狗的人报告长期精神疾病的可能性更小。发现养狗与婚姻状况与心理健康之间存在相互作用。在随后的分层分析中，单独主人出现短期心理困扰的几率增加，而陪伴主人报告长期精神疾病的几率较低。我们的研究结果表明养狗与心理健康之间存在复杂的关系，并表明养狗的心理健康属性可能因婚姻状况而异。有必要进行进一步调查，尤其是考虑养狗行为变化的纵向研究。并建议养狗的心理健康属性可能因婚姻状况而异。有必要进行进一步调查，尤其是考虑养狗行为变化的纵向研究。并建议养狗的心理健康属性可能因婚姻状况而异。有必要进行进一步调查，尤其是考虑养狗行为变化的纵向研究。