PETS REDUCE CAREGIVER STRESS  [ back to What's New ]
Karen Allen, PhD, a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Buffalo, informed the Society of Psychophysiogical Research, at its annual meeting on 10/19/00, of her research into the beneficial cardio-vascular effects of owning a pet dog for caregivers of brain-injured spouses. She monitored the blood pressure of 60 caregiving spouses, all of them taking anti-hypertension medication, over a period of 6 months. 30 were given dogs; the other 30 had none. After 6 months the dog owning caregivers showed a much lower rise in blood pressure during stressful situations than the non-dog owners, an average of 40 mmHg difference. The controls were then given dogs. After 12 months, all 60 participants (now all dog owners) had equivalent improvement in their cardiovascular responses to stress.