According to a latest study, children with pet dog at their home have less chances of suffering from anxiety in comparison to their peers. Tech Times wrote that earlier research has shown that adults with canine companions have better mental and physical health, but not much is known about pet dogs’ effects on children.

During the present study, a group of researchers assessed 643 children from the age group 6-7 years, who were registered in a pediatric primary care clinic in upstate New York.

Before every child’s annual pediatric visit, the researchers gave a comprehensive health risk screener to their parents to fill out. In the questionnaire, parents were asked regarding the tiny tot’s mental and physical health, screen time, body mass index (BMI) and whether they have a pet or not. They noted that the mental health of parents may bias their answers, so they also screened the parents for depression.

The researchers found that 58% of the screened children had pooches at home. They discovered that 12% among them had the potential of suffering from childhood anxiety. Among the children, who don’t have a pet dog, 21% were tested positive for potential childhood anxiety.

The researchers considered many variables like poverty levels, but their findings didn’t change, though they pointed out that the results have just indicated a correlation between both.

The study authors said that the interpretation of the findings can be done in two ways: either less anxious children own pooches, or pooches make the little ones less anxious.