by Ann R. Howie, ACSW
The Presence of Pets in Young Families Experiencing Cancer
What is the impact of the presence of pets on families undergoing a life crisis? Victoria Ravels, Francis Mesagno, Daniel Darus, and Diane Gottfried of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York studied this issue and presented a paper at the 1994 Delta Society Conference documenting the results of their research.
They found that the presence of pets can have several beneficial consequences. The presence of companion animals, especially cats and dogs, had a beneficial impact on the adult caregiver while caring for the spouse who had cancer. Parents reported that pets helped them feel better when sad. A surprising number felt that pet care was not a burden, even though they were caring for their spouse. Adults who were terminally ill frequently remarked that their pets were important in helping them cope when they felt distressed during their illness by providing a reason to live and consistent companionship and affection. The companionship of pets (particularly dogs) helped children in families adjust better to the serious illness and death of a parent. The benefits were observed in five areas: children received love at a time when their need for love was enormous; children were able to confide their feelings more readily to their pets than to people; taking care of their pet helped maintain daily structure in the midst of a vast disruption in their daily routines; children felt competent by taking care of the pet at a time when their lives felt out of control; and children felt needed by their pet.
Pets' Roles in Children's Emotional Development
Preschool through first-grade children view their pets as playmates and protectors. This view changes by the time children reach third through fifth grades; pets are then seen as a confidant and source of emotional support. Regardless of age and developmental level, however, most children view their pets as special friends and important members of their family. Sandra Triebenbacher from East Carolina University reports that most children talk to their pets. In addition, most children feel that mutual "love" is conveyed verbally and nonverbally between them and their pets.
When children are going through a transitional stage in their lives, they will choose a transitional object, such as a blanket or teddy bear. They keep this object close to themselves, and it gives them comfort. Triebenbacher found that children will interact with their pets in much the same way they do with transitional objects: rubbing, stroking, cuddling, and kissing. In this way, she learned that children may use their pets as transitional objects, seeing their companion pets as providing comfort, security, and emotional support.
Companion Animals at the Time of Military Transfer
Military service members may encounter formidable barriers to taking their family pet with them at the time of transfer to a new service location. Transfer is inherently a disruptive and stressful time for military families. Having to make a decision whether or not the family pet can remain with the family adds substantially to many families' stress. In addition, having to leave a pet behind can worsen family adjustment problems in the new location. Chumley, Gorski, Saxton, Granger and New, from the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and the University of Tennessee, studied this issue. They found that service members and their families often consider their pet to be a member of the family. High levels of pet attachment on the part of the person who had primary care of the pet led to more companion animals accompanying their military family at transfer time. Even when attachments were high, however, animals were sometimes left behind, and the researchers identified several barriers within the military system to transferring pets. They identified two important community health consequences of keeping pets and their families together: an animal surplus (leading to free-ranging animals or euthanasia) is avoided when families cannot find an alternate permanent residence for their pets; and emotional trauma and consequent personal and family problems are reduced.
References
- Raveis, V.H., Mesagno, F., Darus, D., and Gottfried, D., (1993). "Psychological Consequences of Pet Ownership of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients." Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, Department of Social Work Research.
- Triebenbacher, S.L. (1994). "Pets as Transitional Objects: Their Role in Children's Emotional Development." Department of Child Development and Family Relations, School of Human Environmental Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville. NC.
- Chumley, P.R., Gorski, J.D., Saxton, A.M., Granger, B.P. and New, J.C. Jr. (1994). "Companion Animal Attachment and Military Transfer." Anthrozoös, 7:4, 258-271.
Originally published in Interactions, Vol. 13 #3, 1995, p. 7.
