Improving Adolescent And Teenage Mental Health May Be Easier Than You Think
Photo from Ai Tsujimura SWNS
A new study has found that having a pet dog boosts teenage mental health from the inside. Microbes living in their bodies are changed for the better when you have a dog.
Researchers have discovered that having a pet dog makes significant changes in the human microbiome, which is the collection of all microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the human body. This is not the first study of its kind.
Hundreds of others have proven that the community of microbes play a crucial role in health, immunity, digestion, fertility, and emotional wellbeing. Each person’s microbiome has a unique composition that can be affected by factors like diet, medication, and environmental exposures.
A recent paper by lead author Professor Takefumi Kikusui from Azabu University in Japan and his team found that young people who grow up with a dog from early childhood and continue to have a dog later in life score higher on measures of companionship and social support. These effects may be mediated through symbiosis with microorganisms.
The study, published in the journal iScience, explores whether some of the benefits of dogs on a young person’s mental health could be linked to these differences in the microbiome. Kikusui said, “Adolescent children who keep dogs exhibit higher mental well-being, and we also found that dog ownership alters the gut microbiota. Since the gut microbiota influences behavior through the gut-brain axis, we conducted this experiment.”
The team found that whether a 13-year-old owned a dog was able to predict their mental health and behavioral scores. Social problems were significantly lower in those with a dog compared to those without.
Goodnewsnetwork.org says, “After sequencing the microbes, the researchers found similar species diversity and richness between the two groups of teens. But the microbiome composition showed differences, suggesting that owning a dog shifted the abundances of specific oral bacteria.”
They hypothesized that some of the bacteria might correlate with the teenagers’ psychological scores. To put the theory to the test, the researchers treated lab mice with microbiota from dog-owning teens to see whether and how it affected their social behavior.
Mice with the dog-owning microbiome spent more time sniffing their cage mates.” The mice were more likely to approach and interact with their cage mates which suggests that the bacteria may encourage increased social engagement.
From The Study
Here the research zooms in on adolescence, where brain development, relationships, and the gut–brain axis all intersect in ways that can shape how young people connect with others.
Adolescence, the brain, and the gut–brain axis
The publication in iScience says of adolescence, “During this period, social interactions and relationships, especially with family members can have irreversible effects on mental and emotional development…This development takes place in areas of the brain like the limbic system, which is responsible for social behavior, processing rewards, and emotional reactions.
Simultaneously, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive functions such as decision-making, social recognition, impulse control, and future planning, matures during adolescence…One study demonstrated that human gut microbiota composition can predict social decision-making patterns.
Recent evidence has highlighted the connection between the gut and brain, which is modulated by gut microbiomes through neural, neuroendocrine, and metabolic pathways. These pathways involve various neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines, and bioactive metabolites, such as oxytocin, suggesting that the gut microbiome, especially during development, can shape the quantity and quality of social relationships in humans.”
The Results
This part of the study focuses on what was different about teens who lived with dogs, what showed up in their microbiomes, and how those changes might relate to empathy and social behavior.
What the researchers found in dog-owning teens
Kikusui explained, “The most interesting finding from this study is that bacteria promoting pro-sociality, or empathy, were discovered in the microbiomes of adolescent children who keep dogs. The implication is that the benefits of dog ownership include providing a sense of security through interaction, but I believe it also holds value in its potential to alter the symbiotic microbial community. The benefits of living with dogs are likely the result of tens or thousands of years of human-canine coexistence.”
Of the 343 adolescents who participated in the Tokyo Teenager Cohort Study, 96 of them were dog owners. The 13-year-olds with dogs had significantly lower scores for social problems, social withdrawal, thought problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior than those without dogs.
The microbes in their saliva were analyzed and 12 types of bacteria were found in lower levels in the non-dog owners. The study did not consider the microbes carried by the teenagers’ dogs, making Kikusui say, “It remains unclear whether these differences [in microbes among dog owners] stemmed from the dogs themselves or whether owning dogs reduced stress, leading to the resulting changes in microbiota.”
Another professor, Stefan Reber concurred, “It has only been shown that teens with dogs have a different salivary microbiome than teens without dogs.”
Final Thoughts
The closing reflections draw the bigger picture: how growing up with a dog can touch physical health, emotional resilience, and the everyday rhythms of family life.
Why a family dog can make a difference
Dog ownership from a young age has a positive and significant effect on many aspects of life such as physical and mental health, responsibility, as well as social and emotional behavior. It is well established that adolescents growing up with a dog have stronger immune systems and are less likely to develop allergies.
Dogs can lower stress levels and promote physical activity. This study should be taken as a sign to adopt a family dog.
About The Author
Aubrey White
Aubrey graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in English from Montclair State
University. She has always been passionate about reading and writing and hopes to one day
publish her own novel.
Some of her favorite books are The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, The Shining by Stephen King, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and First Time Caller by B.K. Borison. She loves animals, especially dogs. In her free time, she likes going to the gym, hanging with friends, watching rom-coms with her mom, reading, and writing short stories.
reader's monthly pick
subscribe to newsletter
Sign up for The DivsFeed newsletter to get heartwarming stories in your inbox every month.
