@article{ref1,
title="The association between living alone and depressive symptoms and the role of pet ownership among Japanese workers",
journal="BMC public health",
year="2023",
author="Miyake, Haruka and Inoue, Yosuke and Okazaki, Hiroko and Miyamoto, Toshiaki and Eguchi, Masafumi and Kochi, Takeshi and Kabe, Isamu and Tomizawa, Aki and Fukunaga, Ami and Yamamoto, Shohei and Konishi, Maki and Dohi, Seitaro and Mizoue, Tetsuya",
volume="23",
number="1",
pages="e1769-e1769",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Living alone has been positively associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms. We examined how a combination of living alone and pet ownership relates to depressive symptoms. <br><br>METHODS: As part of the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study, we conducted a survey on health-related lifestyles, including living arrangements and pet ownership, among 12,763 employees of five companies in 2018-2021. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 11-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (cutoff score ≥ 9). A Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator was used to calculate prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) while adjusting for covariates. <br><br>RESULTS: Among the participants, 30.9% were depressed, 17.7% had pets, and 29.1% lived alone. Compared to individuals living with others but not with a pet, those living alone and not with a pet had a 1.17 times higher prevalence ratio of depressive symptoms (95% CI: 1.08-1.26). The corresponding figures were 1.03 (95% CI: 0.95-1.11) for those living with others and pet(s) and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.18-1.69) for those living alone but with pet(s). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Living alone was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. The association was rather stronger among individuals with vs. without pets. Pet ownership may not be associated with decreased depressive symptoms.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2458",
doi="10.1186/s12889-023-16619-2",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16619-2"
}