Having a Pet Dog Could be the Key to Adolescent Mental Health

Growing up with a pet, especially a pet dog, can be a wonderful thing for a young person. It teaches them responsibility and empathy. A dog can be a companion, friend, and a beloved family member.

Now, a new study published in iScience, shows that not only does owning a dog during adolescence improve mental health, it does so in a very interesting way. Dog ownership is associated with altered microbiota in young pet owners, and it is suggested that these microbiota are involved in the mental health advantages of having a dog.

Fewer Social Problems
The Guardian reported that the study, led by Professor Takefumi Kikusui, of Azabu University in Japan, followed 343 healthy adolescents. Ninety-six of them lived with dogs. What the researchers found was that the teenagers who owned dogs at age 13 scored lower for social problems, delinquency, social withdrawal, and aggressive behavior at age 14 than their peers who did not own dogs.

Part of the reason for this, the researchers posited, is because of the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, that is released when people spend time with their dogs. This hormone is known to lower stress.

But, Kikusi and his team wanted to dig deeper. They analyzed the bacteria from the teenager’s saliva. Though all the study participants had abundant microbes in their saliva, and for the most part, these rates were the same throughout, the saliva dog owners showed higher amounts of Streptococcus and Prevotella.

Stronger Social Motivation
The researchers then treated lab mice with the microbes from the dog-owning participants, according to Newsweek. These mice spent more time sniffing their housemates and showed stronger social motivation than mice that were not treated with the microbes. Meaning, there is a connection between the microbes found in the saliva of adolescents who own dogs and increased sociability; at least in mice.

“The implication is that the benefits of dog ownership include providing a sense of security through interaction, but I believe it also holds value in its potential to alter the symbiotic microbial community,” Kikusi told Newsweek.

There is still a lot of work to be done on understanding the connection between dogs, microbes in teenagers, and mental health. Correlation is not causation. Still, the study by Kikusi and his team may just be one more reason to give a dog a home. You may help yourself to a happier and healthier life.