by Alexandra Frean, Social Affairs Correspondent
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001331313,00.html
CHILDREN who have pet dogs adjust better if their
parents divorce than those who do not, researchers in Germany have
found. A study into the behaviour and feelings of 150 children whose
parents had divorced found that one year later those with a dog were
less aggressive and better socially integrated than those without.
Children without a dog tended to be prone to vandalism, stubborn and
irritable, and likely to act up to gain attention.
Tanja Hoff, a psychologist at the University in Bonn and
co-author of the research, said that pet dogs appeared to provide
children from divorced families with a strong sense of security and
could help in stabilising mood swings.
Her research, presented at the International Conference
on Human Animal Interactions in Brazil, is based on questionnaires
completed one year after divorce by a representative sample of 150
divorced mothers of only children aged six and 11. Of these, 75 had a
pet dog and 75 did not. The 75 children who had a dog were also
interviewed.
More than 40 per cent of children without a dog
displayed aggressive behaviour, frequently breaking things on purpose,
compared with 25 per cent of the children with dogs. Extreme
irritability was displayed by 38 per cent of the dog-less children
compared with 24 per cent of those with dogs. Thirty-six per cent of
children with no dog were found to misbehave to draw attention to
themselves, compared with 27 per cent of the children with a dog.
Frau Hoff attributes the therapeutic effects of a dog to
the additional security the animal provides to children through its
affection and loyalty. “The dog’s love is unconditional and is always
there. He provides continuity and stability.”
Replies from the children backed this up. They included:
“When my parents used to quarrel I always went to my dog”; “If I’m
playing with my dog, then I don’t think as much about the worries I
sometimes have”; “When my Daddy was no longer around, I didn’t feel
quite as lonely thanks to my dog”; and “My dog always loves me”.
Frau Hoff said, however, that parents in the middle of a
divorce who might be tempted to rush out and buy a dog in a desperate
attempt to make their children feel better may well be wasting their
time.
“All of the families in my study had had the dog for a
long time,” she said. “Even so, more than 9 per cent of parents said
that the dog itself was a cause of stress for them during the divorce.
The additional stresses caused by having to deal with a new pet during
the divorce crisis might outweigh the benefits.”
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