Owning a dog significantly reduces stress levels among families who have a child with autism, a new study has found.
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a biological
disorder of the brain that impairs communication and social skills.
Signs can include an absence of eye contact, apparent aloofness,
avoidance of physical contact even with family and difficulty dealing
with interruptions to routine.
At least 1% of children in Ireland are estimated to have the
condition and a number of families here have already greatly benefited
from autism assistance dogs, which are highly trained dogs that help to
provide independence and companionship to children with autism.
However, this study focused on families who simply had dogs as pets.
"While there is growing evidence that animal-assisted
therapy can aid in the treatment of children with ASD, this
study is one of the first to examine how pet dog ownership can
also improve the lives of those more widely affected by
autism.
"Researchers have previously focused on the positive effects that
assistance dogs can have on the child's wellbeing and have passed over
the impact they might also have on close relatives, but our results show
that owning a pet dog (rather than a specifically trained assistance
dog) can considerably improve the function of the whole family unit,"
explained Prof Daniel Mills of the University of Lincoln in the UK.
He noted that the study found a
‘significant, positive relationship between parenting stress of the
child's main caregiver and their attachment to the family dog'. In other
words, the more attached the caregiver was to the dog, the less
stressed they were. The researchers believe that this highlights the
importance of the bond between the caregiver and their dog.
The study involved families who had taken part in a previous study
looking at the short-term impact of dog ownership on families affected
by autism. For the current study, these families were followed up
two-and-a-half years later.
The researchers found that the initial results which suggested
reduced stress lasted for years after the dog was initially acquired,
and stress levels continued to decline steadily.
"Stress associated with parenting a child with autism continued to
decrease among dog owners over time, but we did not see the same
reductions in families without a dog. This long-term follow up study
highlights the potential benefits of pet ownership in bringing long-term
improvements to the lives of families living with a child with autism,"
Prof Mills said.
source: irishhealth.com
