| Human-animal relationships are both ubiquitous and diverse across the life span, and may be especially salient among children and adolescents. However, there is little theory-predicated research documenting the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in promoting young people's positive development, a lack of measures of HAI derived from such research, and an absence of evidence-based programs associated with such scholarship. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to begin to fill these gaps by refining a theory-based measure that explores emotions and cognitions about attachment, commitment, and moral orientation toward animals and, in turn, provides exploratory information about the possible correlates between HAI experiences and positive youth development. Data are derived from a pilot investigation, the Correlates of Positive Youth Development (C-PYD) Study, and from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. These data are used to examine structural features of HAI experiences, the potential association between residential context and HAI, and developmental correlates associated with HAI in late adolescence. The implications of these studies will be discussed, and suggestions for new areas of inquiry about the role of HAI as an important developmental context will be presented. |
