Pet Ownership - it's proven!!

Pets are an important part of many people's lives.
They provide companionship and entertainment for their owners.
In Malaysia, many people own pets.
To some, the pets perform security functions, whereas to others they are a form of companionship.
Many studies suggest that having a pet may help alleviate mental health problems.
Serpell (1990) noted that pet owners, when compared with non-pet owners, had less minor health problems and higher self esteem.
In the study, the reduction in minor health problems also resulted in an increase in healthy behaviours such as physical exercises (i.e., regularly walking the pet).
Thus, it would appear that the pet also improved the owner's ability to carry out tasks, thus increasing overall general self-efficacy.
Many pet owners also appear to experience lower levels of anxiety as a result of the ownership of their pets. Dog owners reported experiencing a reduction in their fear of being the victim of crime (Serpell, 1990).
In addition, they also report to have a slight increase in self-esteem. Whilst these studies have been conducted on foreign pet owners, we wonder if the same results are also observable amongst Malaysian pet owners. In addition, no specific studies have examined the impact on the owner's self-efficacy.

Pets appear to have a positive impact on their owners for a number of reasons.
Some are a source of love, affection and companionship (Cusack, 1988).
They also provide social benefits to their owners.
Other pets promote social relationship between people whether they are in an institutional setting or simply strangers on the street.
The pet acts as an icebreaker, thus facilitating social relationship between people (Cusack, 1988). Finally some studies suggest that pets assist in promoting positive family interactions.
Allen (1998) noted that couples with pets report greater closeness and satisfaction in marriage as compared to non-pet owners.