Human-Animal Interaction as a Context for Thriving and Coping in Military-Connected Youth: The Role of Pets During Deployment

There are close to two million children who have parents serving in the United States military. Youth in military families face unique challenges, such as stress about family deployment. Nevertheless, many military-connected youth also exhibit strength and resilience in the face of these challenges. Therefore, it is critical to identify useful resources that are available for youth in military-connected families that may promote such resilience, and how these resources can be optimized to help youth thrive in the context of parental deployment. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of positive relationships with companion animals as a resource for resilience and thriving in military families. Results suggested that attachment to an animal was associated with positive youth development for military-connected youth and with adaptive coping strategies for youth with a deployed family member. Implications of these findings for the potential role of pets as an effective contextual resource for military families are discussed.