Researchers at Azabu University report that adolescents who own dogs have higher well‑being scores and distinct microbiomes, according to a recent study published in adolescent mental health interventions in iScience.

The findings, led by animal behaviorist Takefumi Kikusui at Azabu University, suggest a relationship between dog ownership in adolescence and measurable shifts in microbial communities that accompany improved mental health scores. The study examined young people as part of the research reported by the team. Pets play a significant role in promoting mental health across different age groups, providing stress and anxiety reduction, companionship, and a sense of purpose for most owners.

The researchers compared participants who kept dogs with their peers and found that dog owners had higher overall well‑being measures while also showing different oral microbiome compositions. In particular, the dog‑owner samples displayed greater representation of Streptococcus and Prevotella species, a detail highlighted in the study’s results. This aligns with broader findings indicating that high attachment to pets among children can significantly enhance their emotional resilience.

“Raising dogs has beneficial effects, especially for adolescents, and these effects may be mediated through symbiosis with microorganisms,” said Takefumi Kikusui, animal behaviorist at Azabu University.

The study frames those microbial differences as a possible pathway linking pet ownership to psychological outcomes. Kikusui and colleagues point to the interaction between humans and animals as one route by which microbial communities may change, and those changes may in turn relate to behavioral or emotional measures assessed by the team. While dog ownership can enhance mental well-being, researchers also note that there are various evidence-based approaches to improve teen mental health without pet ownership, such as engaging in physical activities that promote mood and cognitive function.

Researchers positioned their work within broader questions about adolescent development, a period when social and emotional capacities are still forming. For context on interventions and supports targeted to this age group, see research summaries in Frontiersin, which reviews evidence on adolescent mental health approaches.

The Azabu University team chose to publish in iScience to reach a cross‑disciplinary audience interested in links between microbiology and behavior. The study’s pairing of mental‑health assessments with microbial profiling aims to add laboratory evidence to longstanding observations that companion animals can affect mood and social functioning.

Although the paper centers on the adolescent participants and their microbiomes, its authors frame the results as one piece in a larger scientific conversation about how environment and close social contacts — including companion animals — may shape the microbes that live on and in people, and how those microbes might interact with the brain. Pet ownership varies significantly across regions, with rural areas having higher ownership rates, which can also impact community-wide mental health trends.

Public health and behavioral researchers have long studied pet ownership for its potential effects on stress, loneliness and social connection; the Azabu University study contributes a microbial lens to that literature. For reporting on the broader relationship between pets and mental health, see the summary from the American Psychiatric Association referenced by the research team.

The study appears in iScience and is presented as part of ongoing work by Kikusui and collaborators to understand animal–human interactions during adolescence. The authors emphasize microbial symbiosis as a potential mechanism, and Kikusui’s statement highlights that possibility directly.

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Original reporting: view the original article.