A Study of Life Stress and Quality of Life for Pet Dog Owners

• Main Authors: Yi-Ting Chao, 趙怡婷
• Other Authors: Shu-Hsin Ko
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/38739416407644810102

碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 生活應用科學系碩士在職專班 === 101 === This study aims to explore the quality of life and life stress of pet dog owners, emphasizing on the explanatory power of how the individual background influences the quality of life and life stress of pet dog owners. Also, the relationship between life stress and the quality of life of pet dog owners is also another focus. This study applies questionnaire method to collect data by purposive sampling, choosing 420 pet dog owners in Taipei and New Taipei City as respondents, with 390 of them as effective samples. The effective response rate is 92.8%. The research tools used include “Personal Profile,” “Life Stress Scale,” and “Quality of Life Scale.” The responses are processed and analyzed in the SPSS for Windows 19.0. The results are analyzed in descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe Method, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The main purpose of this study is to explore the quality of life and life stress of pet dog owners. The results are as follows: A. The present state of the “quality of life” and “life stress” of pet dog owners 1. The life stress of pet dog owners is inclined to mid to low, among them the environmental life stress the highest and the family life stress the lowest. 2. The quality of life of pet dog owners is inclined to mid to high, among them the social quality of life the best and the psychological quality of life the poorest. B. The influence of pet dog owners’ individual background over life stress 1. Male pet dog owners’ overall life stress is higher than female owners. 2. Pet dog owners’ life stress is apparent only in family and environmental levels. It means the older the people are, the higher their life stress in family and environmental dimensions. 3. Pet dog owners’ overall life stress is affected by their education. The individual and work dimensions of life stress of PhDs are higher than those with a senior high school diploma. 4. Pet dog owners’ overall life stress is affected by their marital status. The individual, work, and family dimensions of life stress of single people are higher than married or cohabitated ones. 5. As a whole, there is low and positive correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “higher average income” and “life stress”. It means people with higher average income have more life stress. 6. Pet dog owners’ overall life stress is affected by their relationship with the pet dog. It means people who treat their pets as friends have more life stress than those who treat their pets as family. C. The influence of pet dog owners’ individual background over their quality of life 1. Male pet dog owners have better quality of life than female owners. 2. Older pet dog owners have better quality of life. 3. PhD pet dog owners enjoy better life of quality than those of senior high or college graduates. 4. Married pet dog owners’ life of quality is better than single owners. 5. As a whole, there is low and positive correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “higher average income” and “quality of life”. It means people with higher average income have better quality of life. 6. Pet dog owners’ overall life stress is affected by their relationship with the pet dog. It means people who treat their pets as family have better quality of life than those who treat their pets as friends. 7. As a whole, there is low and positive correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “overall quality of life” and “the time they spend on and interact with their pet dog”. It means the longer they interact with their pet dogs, the better their quality of life is. 8. There is low and positive correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “monthly spending on pet dogs” and only “psychological and social dimensions of quality of life”. It means the more monthly spending on pet dogs have over their owners, the better the owners’ quality of life is. 9. There is low and positive correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “ pet dog’s influence over the pet dog owner” and only “psychological dimensions of quality of life”. It means the more influence pet dogs have over their owners, the better the owners’ quality of life is. D. The relationship between pet dog owners’ overall life stress and overall quality of life. As a whole, there is low, positive and significant correlation between the Pet dog owners’ “overall life stress” and “overall quality of life”. It means the higher the Pet dog owners’ overall life stress is, the lower the overall quality of their life is. E. The explanatory power of pet dog owners’ individual background and life stress Single or cohabitated male pet dog owners have higher life stress if they hold a doctoral degree, have children, have high salary, and treat their pets as friends. These six factors can be used to predict 35% variability of overall life stress of the samples. F. The explanatory power of pet dog owners’ individual background and quality of life Pet dog owners have better quality of life if they hold a doctoral degree, are married, have no children, have high salary, treat their pets as family, and spend a lot time interacting with their pets. These nine factors can be used to predict 18% variability of overall quality of life of the samples. G. The explanatory power of pet dog owners’ individual background and life stress to their life of quality Pet dog owners have better quality of life if they are married male, hold a doctoral degree, have no children, have high salary, treat their pets as family, spend longer time interacting with their pets, and lower overall life stress. These nine factors can be used to predict 30% variability of overall quality of life of the samples. According to the discovery and conclusions in this study, pet dog owners need to create a healthy financial planning to better their personal value added, enhance their competitiveness in order to cope with the changing world. Positive attitude is suggested to deal with the negative emotional impacts. A healthy daily routine is also recommended. Paying attention to health, time management, working habits, and making it a habit to walk with pets are all good to our overall welfare. Furthermore, pet dog owners can make use of pet restaurants, BNBs to create more memories with their pet and create more interaction with other people as a way to release their physical and psychological stress. It is a good way to make themselves to be adapted to the society and gain social support. Pet dog shops should provide diversified services to satisfy the basic needs as well as educating and recreational needs of pet dogs. In addition to that, public authorities should build a cooperative relationship with Dr. Dog associations and animal shelters to promote knowledge about therapy dogs. This can not only decrease the number of street dogs but also can promote the attitude of respecting life.