Photo: flickr
Homeless youth can benefit from owning pets but not without a few challenges, according to a new study from the University of Guelph.
Led by researchers from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), the team found that homeless youth with pets are less likely to engage in potentially harmful behaviour, more likely to open up to veterinarians about their personal challenges and generally less depressed.
“Those homeless youth with pets don’t want to risk incarceration or anything that would prevent them from being with their pets, so they are less likely to abuse alcohol or use hard drugs,” said Prof Coe.
“We also found those without pets are three times more likely to be depressed, though we have not yet determined if this is directly relatable to having a pet.”
Category(s):Child and/or Adolescent Issues
Source material from University of Guelph
