The influence of pet ownership on self-compassion among nurses: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The modern lifestyle trend of pet ownership is undoubtedly beneficial for both physical and mental health. Research has shown a connection between pet ownership and staff self-compassion. However, there has not been any evidence linking pet ownership to self-compassion in the nurse population. AIMS: To investigate the current status of pet ownership among nurses and explore the influence of pet ownership on self-compassion among nurses. METHODS: An online survey was conducted in July 2022 with 1,308 nurses in China. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire and a self-compassion scale. To compare categorical variables, the independenttest, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis were utilized. SPSS software was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: We found that 16.9% of nurses owned at least one pet, and dogs and cats were the primary pets. Thetest for independent samples showed that pet owners and non-pet owners scored differently on self-compassion (&#xa0;=&#xa0;3.286,&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.001), self-kindness (&#xa0;=&#xa0;3.378,&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.001), common humanity (&#xa0;=&#xa0;2.419,&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.016), and mindfulness (&#xa0;=&#xa0;2.246,&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.025). One-way ANOVA revealed that the highest degree was an influencing factor of self-compassion (&#xa0;=&#xa0;1.386,&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.019). Multiple linear regression showed that average monthly income, pet ownership, and highest degree were the factors that influenced self-compassion most significantly (&#xa0;=&#xa0;8.335,&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001). CONCLUSION: The results revealed that nurses actually own pets as part of their modern lifestyle, which provides them with social support and potentially enhances their self-compassion. More efforts should be focused on the impact of pet ownership on nurses' physical and mental health, and pet-based interventions should also be developed.