Pet Ownership and Emotional Well-Being in Medical Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70833/rseisa20item801Keywords:
Mental Health., Psychological Stress, Human-Animal Bond, Medical Education, AnxietyAbstract
Medical education generates high levels of stress, and human-animal interaction could serve as a coping strategy. This observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study aimed to describe the perception of the influence of pet ownership on the emotional well-being of fifth-semester Medicine students at Universidad Privada del Este (UPE), located in Paraguay in 2023, using a non-probabilistic convenience sample with 150 informants to whom a structured questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire assessed dimensions of stress, loneliness, and empathy using a Likert scale, achieving excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.97), with data analyzed via descriptive and inferential statistics using the Chi-square test. Results indicated that 70% reported owning pets, of whom 92.4% perceived a reduction in loneliness, 90.5% a decrease in stress, and 93.3% associated animal care with the development of responsibility; however, no statistically significant differences were found in overall self-perceived stress between owners and non-owners (p > 0.05), suggesting qualitative benefits focused on immediate emotional support. Overall, students positively perceive pet ownership as a valuable support resource, despite limitations such as convenience sampling and the local design.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Olinda Maria Gamarra, Ana Luisa Akemi Katuiama Tardeli, Débora Goulart Muniz, Maria Clara Kunkel, Paula Heloisa Rosa Louza, Amanda Dutra da Costa, Uaylla Kapoy Filgueiras Gomes
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