Examination of depression, stress and anxiety levels of pet owners

Öz

This study was planned as a descriptive research type to examine the effect of pet ownership on depression, stress, and anxiety levels. The universe and sample of the study consist of individuals who own pets. Individuals who do not own pets constitute the universe of the control group. 129 individuals who own pets, 72 individuals who do not own pets, and a total of 201 individuals constituted the sample of the study. Data were collected with the Individual Characteristics Data Form and the Depression Stress Anxiety Scale (DASS-21). According to the DAS-21 scale cut-off score; 54.3% of individuals who own pets have depression, 67.4% have anxiety and 16.3% have stress symptoms. Of individuals who do not own pets, 73.6% have depression, 72.2% have anxiety and 31.9% have stress symptoms. There is no statistically significant difference in anxiety symptoms between those who own pets and those who do not (p˃0.05). Individuals who do not have pets have statistically higher depression and stress symptoms (X2=7.284 p=0.007, X2=6.632 p=0.010, respectively). In the study, depression and stress symptoms and depression and stress mean scores of individuals who have pets were found to be lower than those who do not have pets. According to the study results, no significant difference was found between pet ownership and anxiety mean scores. According to the results of this study, it can be said that pet ownership positively affects mental health. In this direction, especially in line with psychiatric nursing practices, individuals with high stress levels and depressive symptoms, who are diagnosed with depression, can be recommended to adopt a pet.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Pet
• Depression
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Psychiatric Nursing

Evcil Hayvan Sahibi Bireylerin Depresyon Stres ve Anksiyete Düzeyinin İncelenmesi

Öz

Bu çalışma, evcil hayvan sahiplenmenin depresyon, stres ve anksiyete düzeyine etkisini incelemek amacıyla tanımlayıcı araştırma türünde planlanmıştır. Araştırmanın evren ve örneklemini evcil hayvan sahibi bireyler oluşturmaktadır. Evcil hayvan sahibi olmayan bireyler de kontrol grubunun evrenini oluşturmaktadır. Evcil hayvan sahibi 129 kişi, evcil hayvan sahibi olmayan 72 kişi, toplam 201 kişi araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturmuştur. Veriler; Bireysel Özellikler Veri Formu ve Depresyon Stres Anksiyete Ölçeği (DASS-21) ile toplanmıştır. DASS-21 ölçeği kesme puanına göre; evcil hayvan besleyen bireylerin %54,3’ünde depresyon, %67,4’ünde anksiyete, %16,3’ünde stres belirtisi bulunmaktadır. Evcil hayvan beslemeyen bireylerin ise %73,6’sında depresyon, %72,2’sinde anksiyete, %31,9’unda stres belirtisi bulunmaktadır. Evcil hayvan sahibi olan ve olmayanlar arasında anksiyete belirtileri arasında istatistiksel anlamda fark yoktur (p˃0,05). Evcil hayvan sahibi olmayan bireylerin depresyon ve stres belirtileri istatistiksel anlamda daha yüksek bulunmuştur (sırasıyla X2=7.284 p=0.007, X2=6.632 p=0.010). Araştırmada, evcil hayvan sahibi bireylerin depresyon ve stres belirtileri ile depresyon ve stres puan ortalamaları evcil hayvan sahibi olmayanlara göre daha düşük bulunmuştur. Araştırma sonucuna göre; evcil hayvan sahibi olan ve olmayanlar ile anksiyete puan ortalamaları arasında anlamlı bir fark saptanmamıştır. Bu araştırma sonucuna göre evcil hayvan sahiplenmenin ruh sağlığını olumlu yönde etkilediği söylenebilir. Bu doğrultuda, özellikle psikiyatri hemşireliği uygulamaları doğrultusunda, stres seviyesi yüksek ve depresif belirtileri fazla olan, depresyon tanısı alan bireylere evcil hayvan sahiplenmeleri önerilebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Evcil Hayvan
• Deprsyon
• Stres
• Anksiyete
• Psikiyatri Hemşireliği

Kaynakça

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