Pet Ownership and the Future Time Perspective of Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract. Time perspectives may change as people age and become more aware of their limited time remaining in life. A research question is whether awareness of one’s limited time remaining associates with pet ownership among older adults. Although owning pets in old age involves both benefits and risks, the association between pet ownership and subjective remaining time in life remains understudied. The present study examines the associations between pet ownership and the subjective perception of time remaining in life among older adults. We assessed the experience of pet ownership (dog or cat) and age-related future time perspectives of 329 community-dwelling older adults in Japan. By adopting three constructs of the Future Time Perspective scale, we found that current dog ownership was associated with more limited future opportunities but not with limited time left or future constraints. Older dog owners may focus on the present rather than new future opportunities, yet they may see the future of their dogs that require care. Yet no such association was observed among current cat owners. The present findings extend the previous research of age-related future time perspectives by suggesting that pet ownership in late adulthood may be another contributing factor that needs to be better understood.