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The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Psychiatry, February 2018
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • One of the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#2 of 5,485)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (99th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (98th percentile)

Mentioned by

news
138 news outlets
blogs
15 blogs
twitter
232 X users
facebook
7 Facebook pages
wikipedia
2 Wikipedia pages
reddit
1 Redditor
video
2 YouTube creators

Citations

dimensions_citation
181 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
564 Mendeley
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Title
The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence
Published in
BMC Psychiatry, February 2018
DOI 10.1186/s12888-018-1613-2
Pubmed ID
Authors

Helen Louise Brooks, Kelly Rushton, Karina Lovell, Penny Bee, Lauren Walker, Laura Grant, Anne Rogers

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of the therapeutic function pets can play in relation to mental health. However, there has been no systematic review of the evidence related to the comprehensive role of companion animals and how pets might contribute to the work associated with managing a long-term mental health condition. The aim of this study was to explore the extent, nature and quality of the evidence implicating the role and utility of pet ownership for people living with a mental health condition. A systematic search for studies exploring the role of companion animals in the management of mental health conditions was undertaken by searching 9 databases and undertaking a scoping review of grey literature from the earliest record until March 2017. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to be published in English and report on primary data related to the relationship between domestic animal ownership and the management of diagnosable mental health conditions. Synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data was undertaken in parallel using a narrative synthesis informed by an illness work theoretical framework. A total of 17 studies were included in the review. Quantitative evidence relating to the benefits of pet ownership was mixed with included studies demonstrating positive, negative and neutral impacts of pet ownership. Qualitative studies illuminated the intensiveness of connectivity people with companion animals reported, and the multi-faceted ways in which pets contributed to the work associated with managing a mental health condition, particularly in times of crisis. The negative aspects of pet ownership were also highlighted, including the practical and emotional burden of pet ownership and the psychological impact that losing a pet has. This review suggests that pets provide benefits to those with mental health conditions. Further research is required to test the nature and extent of this relationship, incorporating outcomes that cover the range of roles and types of support pets confer in relation to mental health and the means by which these can be incorporated into the mainstay of support for people experiencing a mental health problem.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 232 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 564 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 564 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Bachelor 89 16%
Student > Master 67 12%
Student > Ph. D. Student 39 7%
Researcher 38 7%
Student > Postgraduate 20 4%
Other 75 13%
Unknown 236 42%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Psychology 89 16%
Medicine and Dentistry 42 7%
Social Sciences 31 5%
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine 30 5%
Nursing and Health Professions 28 5%
Other 97 17%
Unknown 247 44%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1336. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 25 January 2024.
All research outputs
#9,736
of 25,554,853 outputs
Outputs from BMC Psychiatry
#2
of 5,485 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#174
of 447,076 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Psychiatry
#1
of 84 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,554,853 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,485 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 13.3. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 447,076 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 84 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.