Abstract
Purpose. Pets provide companionship and social support for many Americans. Although research within the field of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) has begun to document the impact pets have on various populations, Latinos have largely been excluded as a target population. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the relationship between social support from a pet and Mexican and Mexican Americans' quality of life. Method. This study examined six hypotheses which focused on the following six variables: (a) Acculturation level, (b) human-animal bond, (c) attitude toward pet, (d) physical well-being, (e) loneliness, and (f) depression. A written questionnaire was administered to Mexicans and Mexican Americans between the ages of 21 and 64. Multiple regression analyses were computed to test the six hypotheses. Findings. The analyses supported the hypothesis that highly bonded Mexicans and Mexican Americans tend to experience high levels of social support from their pets (β = .77, t = 11.83, p < .05). No statistically significant results were found for the remaining hypotheses. Results suggest that pets have the potential to positively influence Mexicans and Mexican Americans' quality of life. Future research should be expanded to determine if there is a significant association between supportive components of pets and Latinos' quality of life. It should also be expanded to examine the benefit pets may provide in intervention efforts for Latinos.