WITHDRAWN Children's Attachment to Pets: Associations with Internalizing, Externalizing, and Academic Performance

Background and Purpose

Children’s attachment to pets is associated with healthy development (Marsa-Sambola et al., 2017), and may do so by promoting a sense of safety in relationships, similar to attachment with caregivers. Evidence shows children’s attachment to pets is associated with reduced aggression (Hawkins et al., 2017); however, little is known about associations between children’s attachment to pets and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior and academic performance. In particular, it is important to understand factors that are associated with optimal behavior and educational outcomes and pets may be a key, yet rarely examined, element in this association. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between pet attachment and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior and academic performance, particularly in a large, nationally representative sample in the United States.

Methods

We used data on from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten 2011 Study. Parents reported child race and sex and household income at fall kindergarten and child externalizing behaviors at fourth grade. Children and teachers reported child internalizing and externalizing behaviors at fourth grade. To examine distinct aspects of pet attachment, children rated 4 items from the CENSHARE Pet Attachment Survey (Holcomb et al., 1985) at fourth grade. Children completed assessments for reading, mathematics, and science that were adapted for the study from existing instruments (e.g., Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised, Test of Early Mathematics ability, and Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Third Edition) (see Tourangeau et al., 2015) at fourth grade.

Results

Based on multiple regression analyses, preliminary findings demonstrated that relative to not going to the pet when feeling bad or sad, doing so is associated with low child worry about what others think of them (B=-.04, p=.046) and high math (B= .42, p=.027), but not science (B= .21, p=ns) or reading, scores (B= .14, p= ns). Relative to children who do not consider their pet a member of the family, those who do have low science (B=-.84, p=.003) and reading (B=-1.09, p=.002), but not math scores (B= -.52, p=.182). Frequently spending time playing with their pet is associated with high science scores (B= .33, p=.015). Having the pet near when doing homework, reading, or watching television is associated with low teasing (B=-.03, p=.010), pushing (B=-.02, p=.013), and excluding others (B=-.02, p=.026). All analyses controlled for race, gender, and family income.

Conclusions and Implications

This is the first study to report that distinct aspects of children’s attachment to pets are differentially associated with less internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and better academic performance in large, nationally representative sample of children in the United States. Further research is needed to examine these relationships over time and the implications for social workers who work with children and their families.