Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
In an effort to manage the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have turned to their social support networks. With limited access to in-person human social networks, many people are turning to pets for social support. Pets may be a complementary social support to supplement virtual human-to-human interaction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Nieforth et al. (2020) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: