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Human-Pet Interaction and Loneliness: A Test of Concepts from Roy's Adaptation Model

Washington Hospital, School of Nursing, Washington, PA

This research used two key concepts from Roy's adaptation model of nursing to examine the relationship between human-pet interaction and loneliness in nursing home residents. These concepts included (a) envi ronmental stimuli as factors influencing adaptation and (b) interdepend ence as a mode of response to the environment. The hypothesis of this study asserted that the residents of a nursing home who had greater levels of interaction with a pet program would experience less loneliness than those who had lower levels of interaction with a pet. The study used an ex post facto nonexperimental design with 65 subjects. The simplified version of the revised UCLA loneliness scale was used to measure loneliness. Reported level of human-pet interaction was meas ured according to a four-point scale (1 = no interaction, 4 = quite a lot of interaction). The hypothesis was supported at the p < 0.03 level of significance. Implications for practice through organizing pet programs in situations where loneliness exists are discussed. Recommendations for future research include replicating the study using a larger sample and developing a comprehensive human-pet interaction tool.

Key Words: Roy's Adaptation Model • Human-Pet Interac tion • Loneliness

Nursing Science Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 4, 194-202 (1989)
DOI: 10.1177/089431848900200409


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