(STUDY FINDS) – Heading off to college is usually a joyous time for many teens and young adults. For those with pets however, a new study finds leaving home for the first time is actually impacting their mental health. Researchers from Washington State University find three in four freshmen say leaving their pets behind is giving them separation anxiety.
Their poll of 150 incoming first-year students with pets discovered that 75 percent reported having some level of anxiety from not being able to bring their pets to the campus. One in four reported experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of separation anxiety from not seeing their companions each day.
“Students who are struggling with missing their pets should know that they’re not alone,” says study lead author Alexa Carr, a WSU doctoral student, in a university release. “There’s nothing necessarily wrong with them if they are experiencing a lot of distress from leaving their pets. It can be an isolating experience to lose that coping resource.”
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