Fredonia professor co-writes research papers that link human-animal interaction to healthy aging

Professor of Psychology Nancy Gee, of the State University of New York at Fredonia, was a co-writer of four research papers published in a special themed issue of the Anthrozoös, a multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals, which examined human-animal interaction and healthy human aging.  

“The free journal issue provides evidence that pets are good for older adults and we should work to find ways to help them maintain their own pets, or interact with other pets,” Dr. Gee explained. 

Gee is most excited about “A Systematic Review of Research on Pet Ownership and Animal Interactions Among Older Adults,” a systematic review of the literature on the topic. The paper, co-written with Dr. Megan Mueller, of Tufts University, examined research on the impact of companion animals on the lives of older adults from two perspectives: pet ownership and in animal-assisted interventions.  

The paper can be found at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2019.1569903 

“Relationship of Behavioral Interactions during an Animal-Assisted Intervention in Assisted Living to Health-Related Outcomes,” led by Dr. Erika Friedmann of the University of Maryland, examined behavioral interactions underlying benefits of interacting with animals. It tracked the impact that a structured 12-week pet assisted living intervention had on improved physical activity and mood among assisted-living residents with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.  

The paper can be found at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2019.1569905 

“Biopsychosocial Factors and Cognitive Function in Cat Ownership and Attachment in Community-Dwelling Older Adults,” led by Dr. Sandra Branson of the University of Texas, was designed to determine if psychosocial factors (stress, loneliness and depression), biological levels of stress and inflammation and cognitive function were associated with companion cat ownership/attachment in community-dwelling older adults. 

The paper can be found at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2019.1569908 

The final paper, “Future Directions for Research on Human-Animal Interaction in an Aging Population,” pulls the entire themed issue together and makes recommendations for future research. It offers highlights and distills key points from the series of papers and provides recommendations for improving and expanding human-animal interaction research into health human aging. It was written along with Dr. Beth Galik, of the University of Maryland. 

The paper can be found at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2019.1569909 

The entire Anthrozoös issue is fully open access and all the papers can be found at: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfan20/32/2