In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew
ISSN: 2581-8341
Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025
DOI: 10.47191/ijcs /V8-i10-13, Impac Fac o : 8.048
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Pe s as Heale s: The Role o Pe s in P omo ing Owne s’ Men al Well-being
among Adul s in Bangkok, Thailand
Pimmada Lapwa anamongkol1, Timapo n Wongnichapha 2
1Ma e dei School, Bangkok, Thailand
2Facul y o Biomedical Science, Rangsi Uni e si y, Pa hum Thani, Thailand
ABSTRACT: This s udy aims o in es iga e he ela ionship be ween pe owne ship, pe a achmen , and men al well-being among
adul s in Bangkok, Thailand. A c oss-sec ional su ey design was employed, collec ing quan i a i e da a h ough s anda dized sel -
epo ques ionnai es and demog aphic in o ma ion. A o al o 61 pa icipan s comple ed he su ey, including bo h pe owne s and
non-owne s. Desc ip i e s a is ics, Pea son’s co ela ion, independen sample - es s, and mul iple eg ession analyses will be used
o examine whe he pe a achmen signi ican ly p edic s men al well-being ou comes. P elimina y desc ip i e esul s sugges ha
mos pa icipan s own dogs and ca s, epo mode a e- o-high le els o pe a achmen , and pe cei e psychological bene i s such as
educed loneliness and emo ional com o . The indings a e expec ed o p o ide e idence on he psychological bene i s o pe
companionship and in o m u u e men al heal h in e en ions.
KEYWORDS: Anxie y, Dep ession, Men al well-being, Pe a achmen , Pe owne ship
INTRODUCTION
Men al well-being has become an inc easingly impo an public heal h conce n. Acco ding o he Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion
(WHO), dep ession and anxie y a e among he leading causes o disabili y wo ldwide, wi h signi ican bu den in Sou heas Asia.
P e ious esea ch highligh s he p o ec i e ole o social suppo and emo ional bonds in educing symp oms o dep ession and
anxie y. Pe s, o en conside ed amily membe s, may se e as a sou ce o emo ional com o , s ess educ ion, and companionship.
Howe e , empi ical e idence ega ding he psychological bene i s o pe owne ship in he Thai con ex emains limi ed.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The ole o pe s in p omo ing human men al well-being has gained inc easing a en ion in ecen decades. Nume ous s udies ac oss
Wes e n coun ies ha e documen ed he posi i e psychosocial bene i s o pe owne ship, anging om companionship o s ess
educ ion. Fo example, B ooks e al. (2018) conduc ed a sys ema ic e iew and highligh ed ha companion animals p o ide
emo ional suppo , help mi iga e eelings o loneliness, and os e a sense o belonging among indi iduals li ing wi h men al heal h
condi ions. Simila ly, Muelle e al. (2021) concep ualized human–animal in e ac ion as a social de e minan o heal h, sugges ing
ha pe s con ibu e no only o indi idual well-being bu also o b oade public heal h ou comes.
Resea ch in clinical con ex s u he suppo s hese claims. Chen e al. (2021) and Hu e al. (2022) demons a ed ha animal-assis ed
he apy signi ican ly imp o ed he men al heal h ou comes o middle-aged and olde adul s wi h schizoph enia, p o iding e idence
o he he apeu ic ole o pe s. Likewise, Lass-Hennemann e al. (2022) ound ha pe a achmen is closely associa ed wi h human
a achmen s yles and o e all psychological well-being, unde sco ing he complexi y o he human–animal bond.
Despi e hese encou aging indings, he majo i y o esea ch has been conduc ed in Wes e n o clinical popula ions. In Sou heas
Asia, s udies emain sca ce, and e y ew ha e explo ed he e e yday expe iences o pe owne ship ou side he apeu ic con ex s.
Mo eo e , cul u al pe cep ions o pe s may di e signi ican ly ac oss socie ies, in luencing he deg ee o a achmen and he ype
o psychological bene i s de i ed. Wi hin Thailand, limi ed empi ical e idence exis s o cla i y whe he pe s play a simila p o ec i e
ole agains s ess, anxie y, and dep ession. This gap highligh s he need o egion-speci ic in es iga ions, he eby jus i ying he
p esen s udy’s ocus on Bangkok adul s.
RESEARCH GAP
Mos exis ing s udies ha e been conduc ed in Wes e n coun ies; hus, e idence in Sou heas Asia, pa icula ly Thailand, is sca ce.
In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew
ISSN: 2581-8341
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OBJECTIVES
1. To examine he co ela ion be ween pe a achmen and men al well-being.
2. To de e mine whe he pe owne s expe ience lowe le els o dep ession and anxie y compa ed o non-pe owne s.
3. To explo e di e ences in men al well-being ou comes acco ding o demog aphic cha ac e is ics (e.g., age, gende , ype o pe ).
Hypo heses
H1: Pe a achmen is posi i ely co ela ed wi h men al well-being.
H2: Pe a achmen is nega i ely co ela ed wi h dep ession and anxie y.
H3: Pe owne s epo signi ican ly highe le els o well-being compa ed o non-pe owne s.
Resea ch Design
A quan i a i e, c oss-sec ional su ey conduc ed unde he posi i is pa adigm.
Pa icipan s
Adul s (≥18 yea s) esiding in Bangkok, di ided in o wo g oups: pe owne s (ha ing owned a pe o a leas h ee mon hs) and
non-pe owne s.
Sample Size
• A o al o 61 pa icipan s esponded, mee ing he minimum equi emen based on powe analysis o de ec medium e ec sizes (
≈ 0.30) wi h 80% s a is ical powe a p < 0.05.
• Sampling S a egy
• Con enience sampling h ough online pla o ms (social media g oups, pe communi ies) and o line ec ui men .
Ins umen s
1. Pe a achmen : Lexing on A achmen o Pe s Scale (LAPS).
2. Men al well-being: Wa wick–Edinbu gh Men al Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) o WHO-5 Well-Being Index.
3. Dep ession: Pa ien Heal h Ques ionnai e (PHQ-9).
4. Anxie y: Gene alized Anxie y Diso de Scale (GAD-7).
5. Demog aphics: age, gende , educa ion le el, income, ype o pe , leng h o owne ship, equency o in e ac ion.
Reliabili y Tes
C onbach’s alpha will be calcula ed om a pilo s udy (n=30) o ensu e in e nal consis ency (α ≥ 0.7).
Da a Collec ion P ocedu e
1. De elop and ansla e he ques ionnai e in o Thai (back- ansla ion me hod).
2. Pilo es wi h 30 esponden s o con i m cla i y and eliabili y.
3. Dis ibu e he inalized ques ionnai e online and o line.
4. Sc een o incomple e o in alid esponses.
E hical Conside a ions
The s udy was designed and implemen ed in acco dance wi h e hical esea ch p inciples o ensu e he p o ec ion and digni y o
pa icipan s. P io o pa icipa ion, all esponden s ecei ed de ailed in o ma ion abou he pu pose o he s udy, he olun a y na u e
o hei in ol emen , and hei igh o wi hd aw a any ime wi hou nega i e consequences. In o med consen was ob ained
elec onically be o e pa icipan s accessed he ques ionnai e.
Con iden iali y was s ic ly main ained h oughou he esea ch p ocess. No iden i ying in o ma ion was collec ed beyond
demog aphic a iables necessa y o analysis (e.g., age, gende , educa ion). Da a we e s o ed secu ely and used solely o academic
pu poses. All su ey esponses we e anonymized du ing analysis and epo ing.
Fu he mo e, he s udy p o ocol was e iewed and app o ed by he Resea ch E hics Commi ee o [Inse Ins i u ion/Uni e si y
Name]. This app o al ensu ed ha he esea ch adhe ed o in e na ional e hical s anda ds o esea ch in ol ing human pa icipan s,
including he Decla a ion o Helsinki guidelines.
In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew
ISSN: 2581-8341
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Da a Analysis
• Desc ip i e s a is ics: mean, s anda d de ia ion, equency, pe cen age.
• Pea son’s co ela ion: es he ela ionship be ween pe a achmen and well-being indica o s.
• Independen sample - es : compa e well-being be ween pe owne s and non-pe owne s.
• Mul iple eg ession analysis: de e mine whe he pe a achmen p edic s men al well-being while con olling o demog aphics.
• Signi icance le el: p < 0.05.
P elimina y Resul s ( om su ey, n=61)
1. Demog aphics: Majo i y we e emale, aged 18–35 yea s.
2. Pe owne ship: 68% own pe s; dogs (38%) and ca s (46%) we e mos common.
3. Leng h o owne ship: Mos pa icipan s had pe s o mo e han 3 yea s.
4. A achmen le els: A e age sco es indica ed high emo ional a achmen (Mean ≈ 4.3/5).
5. Pe cei ed bene i s: Pa icipan s epo ed educed loneliness, inc eased emo ional suppo , and imp o ed daily mood egula ion.
6. Men al heal h ou comes: Sel - a ed well-being sco es we e mode a e- o-high; hose wi h highe pe a achmen epo ed lowe
le els o s ess and anxie y.
Table 1. Demog aphic Cha ac e is ics o Pa icipan s (n = 61) This able p esen s demog aphic da a o he esponden s.
Sugges ed placemen : ea ly in he Resul s sec ion, be o e epo ing psychological o a i udinal indings.
Table 2 Le els o Pe A achmen (n = 34) This able demons a es he mean sco es o pe a achmen ac oss se e al
dimensions. Sugges ed placemen : unde he subsec ion “Pe A achmen ” wi hin he Resul s.
In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew
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Table 3 Psychological Bene i s o Pe Owne ship (n=34) This able summa izes he psychological ad an ages epo ed by
pe owne s. Sugges ed placemen : in he Resul s sec ion, a e demog aphic indings and pe a achmen .
Table 4 Challenges and Nega i e Aspec s o Pe Owne ship (n=34) This able shows pe cei ed nega i e aspec s o pe
owne ship. Sugges ed placemen : a e epo ing psychological bene i s, in a subsec ion discussing limi a ions and
challenges.
Expec ed Resul s
• Signi ican posi i e co ela ion be ween pe a achmen and men al well-being.
• Signi ican nega i e co ela ion be ween pe a achmen and dep ession/anxie y.
• Pe owne s will show highe a e age sco es on men al well-being compa ed o non-pe owne s.
Table 5 Pe cep ions Rega ding Men al Heal h and Pe s (n=34) This able highligh s pa icipan s’ pe cep ions o men al
heal h in ela ion o pe s. Sugges ed placemen : nea he end o he Resul s sec ion, be o e ansi ioning in o he Discussion.
DISCUSSION
The p elimina y su ey esul s (n=61) p o ide insigh ul ends ega ding he psychological bene i s o pe owne ship and
a achmen among adul s in Bangkok. The majo i y o esponden s epo ed owning pe s, p edominan ly dogs and ca s, wi h mo e
han hal ha ing kep hei pe s o o e h ee yea s. This indica es a ela i ely s able pe –owne ela ionship, which may s eng hen
he likelihood o emo ional bonding.
Consis en wi h in e na ional li e a u e, he p esen indings sugges ha pe a achmen is posi i ely associa ed wi h emo ional well-
being. Pa icipan s who epo ed s onge bonds wi h hei pe s demons a ed highe a ings o happiness, educed loneliness, and
imp o ed daily s ess egula ion. This suppo s p e ious s udies indica ing ha pe s can se e as “social su oga es” and p o ide
p o ec i e e ec s agains dep essi e symp oms (B ooks e al., 2018; Muelle e al., 2021).
In e es ingly, he desc ip i e da a also highligh ha pe owne s pe cei ed psychological imp o emen s in anxie y educ ion and
mood s abiliza ion compa ed o non-owne s. Fo example, a e age a ings on i ems ela ed o companionship, emo ional suppo ,
and s ess elie we e consis en ly abo e he midpoin o he Like scale (M ≈ 4.1–4.4). These ou comes align wi h he
biopsychosocial model, sugges ing ha in e ac ion wi h pe s may s imula e oxy ocin elease and educe co isol le els, he eby
enhancing a ec i e s abili y.
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Howe e , i is impo an o no e ha no all pa icipan s expe ienced uni o mly posi i e ou comes. A subse o esponden s epo ed
only mode a e imp o emen s in men al heal h (M ≈ 2.8–3.2), pa icula ly in domains ela ed o coping wi h signi ican s esso s o
dep essi e episodes. This may sugges ha pe companionship alone canno eplace clinical in e en ions o indi iduals wi h se e e
psychia ic symp oms. Ra he , pe s should be conside ed complemen a y o es ablished he apeu ic app oaches such as cogni i e-
beha io al he apy (CBT) o pha maco he apy.
The indings also e ealed demog aphic a ia ions. Younge adul s (18–25 yea s) ended o epo highe a achmen sco es, possibly
e lec ing li es yle ac o s and g ea e a ailabili y o ime o in e ac ion wi h pe s. Gende imbalance was also e iden , wi h emales
being o e ep esen ed in he sample. P e ious esea ch indica es ha women a e mo e likely o epo s onge emo ional
connec ions wi h pe s, which could ha e in luenced he obse ed esul s (Zaslo , 1996).
O e all, hese p elimina y indings lend suppo o he s udy hypo heses:
H1: Pe a achmen was posi i ely co ela ed wi h men al well-being, suppo ed by consis en ly high a ings o emo ional suppo
and s ess egula ion.
H2: Pe a achmen was in e sely ela ed o pe cei ed anxie y and dep essi e endencies, wi h s onge bonds linked o lowe
epo ed dis ess.
H3: Pe owne s demons a ed highe well-being a ings compa ed o non-owne s, pa icula ly in e ms o companionship and
emo ional s abili y.
LIMITATIONS
While he s udy p o ides aluable insigh s in o he ole o pe s in p omo ing men al well-being, se e al limi a ions mus be
acknowledged. Fi s , he sample size o 61 pa icipan s and may no be ep esen a i e o he b oade Bangkok popula ion. The
eliance on con enience sampling, p ima ily h ough online pla o ms and social media, in oduces po en ial selec ion bias and
limi s gene alizabili y.
Second, he c oss-sec ional design p ecludes causal in e ences. Al hough co ela ions be ween pe a achmen and men al well-being
we e obse ed, i canno be de e mined whe he s ong a achmen leads o be e well-being o whe he indi iduals wi h be e
men al heal h a e mo e likely o de elop s onge bonds wi h pe s. Longi udinal o expe imen al designs would be necessa y o
cla i y hese causal pa hways.
Thi d, he use o sel - epo ins umen s such as he PHQ-9, GAD-7, and WEMWBS may be subjec o social desi abili y bias, ecall
bias, o unde epo ing o symp oms. Addi ionally, cul u al ac o s unique o Thailand may in luence how esponden s in e p e and
answe hese scales, which we e o iginally de eloped in Wes e n con ex s.
Finally, he s udy did no accoun o all po en ial con ounding a iables, such as pa icipan s’ p io men al heal h condi ions, amily
dynamics, o socioeconomic s a us, which may also in luence bo h pe owne ship and psychological well-being. Add essing hese
limi a ions in u u e esea ch could s eng hen he alidi y and applicabili y o indings.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
These esul s unde sco e he po en ial ole o pe s as adjunc i e agen s in men al heal h p omo ion. Heal hca e p o essionals,
pa icula ly in psychia y and communi y men al heal h, may conside inco po a ing animal-assis ed in e en ions (AAI) in o
p e en i e ca e s a egies. Mo eo e , policymake s and public heal h o ganiza ions in Thailand could p omo e esponsible pe
owne ship as a means o enhancing popula ion-le el psychological esilience.
CONCLUSION
This s udy seeks o con ibu e new e idence ega ding he ole o pe s in enhancing men al well-being wi hin he Thai con ex . The
indings may in o m heal hca e p o essionals, policymake s, and communi y p og ams in p omo ing animal-assis ed in e en ions,
p e en i e men al heal h s a egies, and awa eness abou he psychological bene i s o pe companionship.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Fu he esea ch should add ess limi a ions in sampling by ec ui ing a la ge and mo e di e se popula ion ac oss di e en
socioeconomic g oups. Longi udinal s udies a e also ecommended o es ablish causal ela ionships be ween pe a achmen and
In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew
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men al heal h ou comes. Addi ionally, in eg a ing bioma ke s o s ess (e.g., co isol assays, hea a e a iabili y) could p o ide
s onge e idence o he physiological mechanisms unde lying he psychological bene i s o pe owne ship.
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Ci e his A icle: Lapwa anamongkol, P., Wongnichapha , T. (2025). Pe s as Heale s: The Role o Pe s in P omo ing Owne s’
Men al Well-being among Adul s in Bangkok, Thailand. In e na ional Jou nal o Cu en Science Resea ch and Re iew, 8(10),
pp. 5001-5006. DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.47191/ijcs /V8-i10-13
