HIGHLIGHTS Owning any pet can have a significant role in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress. The physical and psychological benefits in the form of a pet have genuine physiological underpinnings and is thought to affect both sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal reactivity. Even short-term exposure to a novel dog in an unfamiliar or anxiety provoking setting can lower cortisol and heart rate levels. Pet ownership may be a protective factor for individual and c

It was a rainy Thursday morning. With umbrella and purse in hand, I clumsily opened the entrance door of my favorite bread store. Its overhead bronze bell made a familiar clamor reminiscent of the candy shop that once inhabited this space, a shop my sister and I as children would patron with pockets full of coins and hearts oversized with sweet treat wishes. As I approached the counter I was greeted by the slightly sweet, yeasty, tang of baking bread and ready to take my orde

Highlights Marital status is a predictor of emotional and physical health, with divorced persons at greater risk for depression, anxiety, and poor physical health status. Divorce adjustment may hinge on the clients' social health or wellbeing and, in particular, the presence of perceived social support. Social support is defined as the physical and emotional resources an individual perceives as available and reliable and is thought to buffer the physiological stress response

During the pandemic, out of concern for the wellbeing of my widowed father, my dog and I would meet up with him at various parks in the...