Over the years, dog has been considered as man's best friend and it can make a great addition to a family with kids as well. Now a new study reveals that children may benefit even more if they have dogs to play with.
A team of researchers from Basset Medical Center, Dartmouth Medical School, and the University of Oklahoma conducted a study about what pets can do for kids' anxiety.
Huffington Post shared that a recent study, which appeared on Wednesday in the journal Preventing Chronic Diseases, found out that kids who have dogs tend be less anxious compared to those who don't have canine companions.
More than 600 children between the ages of six and seven were part of the small study, which compared the anxiety levels seen in those with dogs and those without dogs, NBC News gathered.
Before they proceeded with the study, the team of researchers assessed all the participants and made them go through different screening procedures.
Parents of the children were asked some questions about their kids' health status, including physical and mental state, amount of screen time, body mass index and pet status, Huffington Post noted.
The study then revealed that only 12 percent of kids who have pets are positive for anxiety, as opposed to the 21 percent of those who don't have a dog.
"What we actually found was children from homes with pet dogs had lower anxiety scores than children in homes with no pet dog," study author Anne Gadomski shared to CBS News.
NBC noted that the findings are not at all surprising and even Gadomski seemed to agree. "There is a very strong bond between children and their pets," she told the news outlet.
The latest study was not the only study conducted to prove just how beneficial a dog is to a family with children.
Only recently, research revealed that children who grew up with dogs in the household have a lowered risk of developing asthma. Another research showed that playing with dogs can reduce the stress hormone levels and increase the levels of happy hormones, Huffington Post noted.
While the latest findings may give parents something to think about, researchers admit that there is only a correlation between owning a dog and reduced anxiety. It doesn't show a causal relationship between the two, which is why they suggest that further studies are needed.
The National Institute of Mental Health stated that one in eight children suffer from anxiety disorders. When this problem is not addressed, kids tend to perform poorly in school, are likely to become socially withdrawn, and are more likely to be involved in substance abuse.
