Study: Adopting a pet can enhance a nurse’s wellbeing

Nurses are currently facing a global health emergency. Staffing shortages, overwhelming workloads and high levels of burnout are continuously raising nurse stress levels across the world. All these factors mean nurses must often look out for their own mental and physical wellbeing. And a new study suggests getting a pet can positively influence their home environments and consequently improve their own mental health.

“The influence of pet ownership on self-compassion among nurses: a cross-sectional study,” a study published in the journal Peer J, investigated the impact of pet ownership on nurses. According to the study, performed by researchers at China’s Zunyi Medical University and Zhengzhou University, animals can promote self-care behaviors in the world’s health care heroes.

“The connection between pet ownership and health has been researched more thoroughly in recent years,” according to the study. “Because pet ownership provides social support, it has good physical and mental health-promoting effects. Pets can connect with nature, play a role in recreational and work activities, and provide companionship in the home. Pet-owning populations are more affectionate toward their neighbors, exercise more, and sleep better.”

Pet owners experience higher levels of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness than non-pet owners. High levels of self-compassion can promote self care, improving a person’s mental health. While the study found that pet ownership has a positive influence on nurses, the researchers stressed that more studies are needed to better understand the degree of influence present.

“The results revealed that nurses actually own pets as part of their modern lifestyle, which provides them with social support and potentially enhances their self-compassion,” according to the study. “More efforts should be focused on the impact of pet ownership on nurses’ physical and mental health, and pet-based interventions should also be developed.”