They Call it Puppy Love: Epidemiology and Biology of the Child-Dog Bond

描述（由申请人提供）：越来越多的证据表明，养宠物和人与动物的互动（HAI）和儿童宠物依恋可能对自闭症和其他残疾儿童有益。然而，HAI和依恋是否能在社区样本中对其他行为和情绪障碍的儿童产生类似的保护作用尚不清楚。同样，儿童与狗的关系的潜在保护作用是否受到儿童的环境、社会和心理特征的调节，也没有得到系统的评估。最后，儿童-宠物依恋的积极影响的潜在神经生物学机制在很大程度上尚未发现。使用一个基于社区的10至18岁的儿童样本，从一个正在进行的，目前资助的项目（“从社区到神经元和超越”，5DP 2 OD 003021），本提案旨在解决这些差距，我们的知识，通过三个阶段的流行病学研究和心理和生物基础的儿童狗债券。在第一阶段，我们将描述1200 - 1500个6 - 8年级青少年儿童家庭的宠物所有权发生率，这些家庭参加了以前的青少年问题行为的学校研究。在第二阶段，我们将确定是否个别差异的儿童狗的关系的质量有关的侵略，犯罪，物质使用和抑郁症的个体差异，以及是否儿童气质和/或环境条件介导或缓和这些关系的样本200名儿童从第一阶段和他们的兄弟姐妹和照顾者，所有这些人都参与了PI的正在进行的研究。最后，我们将开始通过对48名儿童的大脑激活进行功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）研究来探索儿童-狗关系的潜在神经生物学，并将通过比较催产素，加压素，养狗的儿童（N = 24）与不养宠物的儿童（N = 24）在轻度应激后的皮质醇。 公共卫生相关性：越来越多的证据表明，养宠物和人与动物的依恋和互动可能对自闭症和其他残疾儿童有益。然而，是否人与动物的依恋和互动，通过宠物所有权赋予类似的保护作用，在社区样本的儿童在其他行为和情绪障碍的风险是未知的。这项研究将通过将新的儿童-狗依恋措施与来自大型社区青少年样本的现有行为措施联系起来来解决这个问题，也将帮助我们更好地了解儿童-狗关系中个体差异的神经生物学途径，这些途径可能进一步作为儿童发展的保护性影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is growing evidence that pet ownership and human-animal interaction (HAI) and child-pet attachment may be beneficial for children with autism and other disabilities. However, whether HAI and attachment confers similar protective effects among a community sample of children at-risk for other behavioral and emotional disorders is unknown. Similarly, whether the potential protective effects of the child-dog bond are moderated by environmental, social, and psychological characteristics of children has not been systematically evaluated. Finally, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the positive effects of child-pet attachment are largely undiscovered. Using a community-based sample of children aged 10 to 18 from an ongoing, currently funded project ("From Neighborhoods to Neurons and Beyond," 5DP2 OD003021), the present proposal seeks to address these gaps in our knowledge through a three-phase study of the epidemiology and psychological and biological basis of the child-dog bond. In Phase I, we will characterize the incidence of pet ownership among a community-based sample of 1,200-1,500 families with adolescent children in 6th - 8th grade who have participated in a prior school-based study of adolescent problem behaviors. In Phase II, we will determine whether individual differences in the quality of child-dog relationships are related to individual differences in aggression, delinquency, substance use, and depression, and whether child temperament and/or environmental conditions mediate or moderate these relationships in a sample of 200 children from Phase I and their siblings and caregivers, all of whom are participating in the PI's ongoing study. Finally, we will begin to explore the underlying neurobiology of the child-dog bond through a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of brain activation in response to pictures of pet dogs in a sample of 48 children, and will further explore biological mechanisms underlying the potential protective effects of the child-dog bond by comparing changes in oxytocin, vasopressin, and cortisol following a mild stressor in children who own dogs (N = 24) versus non- pet owning children (N = 24). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: There is growing evidence that pet ownership and human-animal attachment and interaction may be beneficial for children with autism and other disabilities. However, whether human-animal attachment and interaction through pet ownership confers similar protective effects among a community sample of children at-risk for other behavioral and emotional disorders is unknown. This study will address this question by linking new measures of child-dog attachment to existing behavioral measures from a large community sample of adolescents, and will also help us to better understand neurobiological pathways that underlie individual differences in the child-dog bond that may further serve as protective influences for child development.