Pets have become a staple piece in countless families throughout the world. While not universal, approximately two thirds of American homes have at least one pet inhabiting them and there are similar rates of pet ownership throughout most first world countries. While most people feel positively towards animals, one may come to question if there are any concrete benefits to owning a pet. A scholarly article published by Purewal et al. examines this question in the realm of how pet ownership can effect child development.

According to the article, pet ownership can lead to quite a few social benefits in young children. One such benefit is a potential increase in prosocial behavior that can lead to an increase in social maturity at a young age. Additional social benefits include an increase in language development and enhanced development in nonverbal communication skills. However, there were some negative traits attributed to pet ownership as well. Examples of negative outcomes attributed to pet ownership include lower educational attainment along with an increase in hyperactivity.

While the effects of pet ownership range from positive to negative outcomes, it is clear that pet ownership effects child development through a variety of factors.

Link to article: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-024-05049-7

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