반려견을 동반한 동물교감활동 프로그램이 보호자의 반려견 애착과 심리적 안녕감에 미치는 효과 = The Effect of an Animal-Assisted Activity Program with Companion Dogs on Dog Owners’ the Attachment to their Dogs and the Psychological Well-Being

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to empirically examine the effects of an animal-assisted activity program involving companion dogs on dog owners’ attachment and psychological well-being. Twelve companion dog owners in their 20s and 30s were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group participated in a 12-session program conducted twice a week. Attachment was measured using the Korean version of the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), and psychological well-being was assessed using a Korean adaptation of Ryff’s scale. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0, with the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Mann-Whitney U test. The experimental group’s attachment score significantly increased from a pre-test mean of 2.49 to a post-test mean of 3.65. Significant improvements were also observed in the psychological well-being subdomains of environmental mastery, positive relationships with others, and personal growth. These results suggest that animal-assisted activities with companion dogs can positively affect dog owners’ emotional bonding and psychological well-being.