By: Princy. P
*Associate Professor/Reader (HOD), Department of Psychiatric Nursing, HINA college of Nursing, Bengaluru-560064, Karnataka, India.
The use of animals in promoting or enhancing health has a long history, but this complementary healing approach is not widely accepted in mainstream healthcare. To educate and change the attitudes of the elderly, this study was conducted to assess their knowledge and attitudes about pet therapy for stress reduction in a selected urban community area in Bengaluru. A descriptive design and purposive sampling method were employed, and data were collected from 50 elderly participants using a structured interview schedule and an attitude scale. Majority 58% of respondents were belongs to the age group of 66-70 years, 30% of respondents were males, 76% were Hindus, 56% of respondents were married, 38% of respondents were not having formal education, 40% of subjects were retired and not working, 42% of respondents had monthly income of Rs.5, 001-Rs 10.000, and 66.% were belongs to nuclear family. Majority 30% of respondents used gardening as recreation activity, 90% of respondents had no pets at home and 42% of respondents had information from newspaper and magazines. The respondent’s overall mean knowledge score was 50.5% .Mean attitude score was 61.1% in positive statements and 58.75% in negative statements and the overall mean attitude score was 60.5%. Analysis of socio-demographic variables showed significant association between age, gender, occupation and type of family with knowledge. Age, gender, education status, family income and type of family with attitude score at 5% level (P>0.05). The study’s overall findings indicated that the elderly participants had limited knowledge (60%) and a moderate attitude (76%) towards pet therapy. This suggests that providing educational interventions, such as pamphlets, teaching programs, and modules on pet therapy for stress reduction, could enhance their knowledge and foster a more positive attitude toward this approach, ultimately leading to an improved lifestyle.
Keywords: pet, pet therapy, stress, elderly people, attitude, knowledge, pamphlet.
Citation:
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