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40 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 237 (2013)
Humans' Bonding with Their Companion Dogs: Cardiovascular Benefits during and after Stress

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw40 and id is 828 raw text is: Humans' Bonding with their Companion Dogs: Cardiovascular Benefits during and after Stress REBECCA A. CAMPo BERT N. UcHINo Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program University of Utah This study examined whether having one's companion dog pres- ent during and after stress posed similar cardiovascular benefits as having a close friend present, even when the relationship quality for both the companion dog and friend was highly positive. Positive aspects of relationship quality for participants' dog and friend were not associated with one another, suggesting that these relation- ships exist independently. Additionally, compared to participants with a close friend present, those with their dog present had lower heart rate and diastolic blood pressure (p's < .05) while undergo- ing the stressors, and tended to have lower heart rate and systolic blood pressure (p's < .09) when recovering from stressors. This study indicates that even when relationship quality is similarly high for companion dogs and friends, dogs may be associated with greater reductions in owners' cardiovascular reactivity to stress, particularly if there is a potential for evaluation apprehension in the human friendships. These findings support the value of the hu- man-companion animal relationship in promoting human welfare. Key words: bonding, companion dogs, cardiovascular health, stress Repetitive, exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to psy- chological stress may influence the development and progres- sion of cardiovascular disease, and more generally, lead to pathophysiological consequences such as metabolic changes, increased inflammation, and immunosuppression (Player, King, Mainous, & Geesey, 2007; Rosengren et al., 2004; Treiber et al., 2003). Research indicates that human social support may buffer cardiovascular responses to stress (Cohen & Wills, Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, December 2013, Volume XL, Number 4 237