Examining Pet Attitude in Relationship to Loneliness and Parenthood Motivation in Pet-Owning Adults

Abstract

Pets’ growing role in family dynamics creates questions about resources pets may provide in parenthood motivation. Pet ownership has been suggested in the literature as an antecedent to parenthood in terms of developing skills needed to rear offspring, nurturance, and responsibility. Participants (N = 118) who were pet owners, completed an online survey that recorded demographics and consisted of loneliness, pet attitude, and parenthood motivation scales. Results supported that loneliness and pet attitude were positively related to parenthood motivation (all p’s < 0.05). Loneliness and parenthood motivation did not vary by pet species. Pet attitude varied by pet species; dog owners had the most positive attitude. Pets were shown to be a valuable resource in alleviating feelings of loneliness and parenthood preparation in this sample. Implications for nursing practice and future research are discussed.