# Parental behavior, human-animal interaction, and adolescent development

> **NIH NIH R03** · TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON · 2020 · $93,971

## Abstract

Project Summary
Pets are recognized as an important facet of the family system, yet research on adolescent–pet relationships has been
limited in several key ways. Youth–pet relationship quality is a potentially critical factor in predicting outcomes of youth
human-animal interaction but the nuances of how adolescent–pet relationship quality may influence the effects of pet
ownership have not been fully explored. In particular, there is a significant need for longitudinal designs to unravel if and
how quality of relationship remains stable, and how any change patterns are linked to youth outcomes. Additionally,
human–animal interactions exist as part of complex family systems, but the majority of youth human-animal interaction
(HAI) research focuses on assessing individual dyadic relationships. There is relatively little known about how parents
may directly or indirectly socialize the pet into the family system as an intentional (or unintentional) way of creating a
positive environment for their children. Currently, little data exist on how parents view adolescent–pet interactions and the
potential benefits or risks as associated with these relationships. Exploring parental attitudes and behaviors is an important
facet of understanding the processes involved in youth HAI.
The specific aims of this project are 1) To longitudinally assess if youth–pet relationship quality is predictive of healthy
adolescent behaviors, and 2) to assess how parents influence the ways in which pets are integrated into the family system.
To achieve these aims, we will utilize data from a larger ongoing longitudinal survey (1R15HD094281-01) of students
aged 11-15 (n=773) and their parents (n=228), and will recruit a subset of parents/guardians to participate in a follow-up
exploratory interview study (n=30) about socialization processes focused on how family pets can contribute to the healthy
development of early adolescents.
The results from this proposed study will reduce gaps in empirical knowledge by focusing research attention on the
quality and consistency of human-animal interactions between adolescents and their pets using a robust longitudinal
approach. In addition, this study will provide nuanced mixed-methods data that will have significant implications for
understanding the diverse ways in which parents have socialized the adolescent-pet relationship.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10073665
- **Project number:** 1R03HD101060-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Megan Kiely Mueller
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $93,971
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-13 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10073665

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10073665, Parental behavior, human-animal interaction, and adolescent development (1R03HD101060-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10073665. Licensed CC0.

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