Evaluation of pet owners' mood and life satisfaction

In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the differences in life satisfaction and mood between pet owners and non-pet owners and examine the relationship between pet type and pet attachment status with depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction. The study was determined as a descriptive cross-sectional with a control group. For this purpose, pet owners and those who do not have pets with similar characteristics were included in the study. Sociodemographic characteristics, Life Satisfaction Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress – 21 Scale were applied to all participants. Pet owners were asked questions about their pets and, additionally, the Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale's "General Attachment" and "People Substituting" sub-dimensions. The collected data were evaluated with the SPSS 23.0 statistical package program. Depression, anxiety, and stress levels of pet owners were found to be significantly lower than individuals without pets (p<0.05). There was no relationship between having a pet and life satisfaction scores. No relationship was found between pet type and general attachment levels to the pet and depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction (p>0.05). Anxiety, depression, and stress levels of individuals with a high level of people substituting were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05). When the mood of pet owners was evaluated with depression, anxiety, and stress, it was found to be more favorable than those who did not have a pet. It has been observed that individuals with high levels of putting their pets as human beings have higher depression, anxiety, and stress moods. Keywords: Pet, depression, life satisfaction, stress, cat, dog.