ABSTRACT This study employed the life course perspective to investigate the convergence of two demographic shifts: the aging of the population and the increase of pet ownership. Specifically, we examined whether pet ownership, the degree of bond with a pet, and reasons for and against pet ownership differed between three age cohorts: the young-old (ages 51–64 years), older adults (ages 65–84), and the oldest-old (ages 85 and over). This study analyzed data from 1,367 respondents of the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) using bivariate statistics and multivariate regression models. We found evidence for differences in rates of pet ownership by race, ethnicity, age, number living in household, and whether someone was living with a spouse or partner, but not by gender, education, income, wealth, or health. The bond with a pet did not differ across age cohorts. Companionship was the most common reason for owning a pet across the three age groups, while concern about the resources (e.g., time and work) required of pet ownership was the most common reason for not living with a pet. Results were interpreted at the individual level using the life course perspective’s tenets of timing in lives, linked lives, and human agency, while taking the societal level tenet of historical time and place into account. While rates of pet ownership differed by age cohort, all participants reported a strong bond with their companion animal. Programs and policies can help facilitate these ongoing relationships. The life course perspective provides a useful framework to gain a deeper understanding of pet ownership and the human–animal bond throughout people’s lives.

中文翻译：

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老年人生活中的宠物：生命历程的视角

摘要 本研究采用生命历程的视角来调查两种人口变化的趋同：人口老龄化和宠物拥有量的增加。具体来说，我们研究了三个年龄组的宠物所有权、与宠物的联系程度以及养宠物的理由是否不同：年轻人（51-64 岁）、老年人（65-84 岁）、和最年长的（85 岁及以上）。本研究使用双变量统计和多变量回归模型分析了 2012 年健康与退休研究 (HRS) 浪潮中 1,367 名受访者的数据。我们发现了不同种族、民族、年龄、家庭居住人数以及是否与配偶或伴侣同住的宠物拥有率存在差异的证据，而不是性别、教育、收入、财富或健康状况。与宠物的联系在不同年龄段没有差异。陪伴是三个年龄组拥有宠物的最常见原因，而担心养宠物所需的资源（例如时间和工作）是不与宠物一起生活的最常见原因。使用生命历程视角的生命时间、关联生活和人类代理的原则在个人层面解释结果，同时考虑历史时间和地点的社会层面原则。虽然宠物拥有率因年龄组而异，但所有参与者都报告说与他们的伴侣动物有很强的联系。计划和政策可以帮助促进这些持续的关系。生命历程视角提供了一个有用的框架，可以让人们更深入地了解宠物所有权和贯穿人们一生的人与动物之间的联系。