Bound by society
An exploratory study of pet attachment and social constraints in pet bereavement among a Turkish sample
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12096763 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Öykü Demirci (İzmir University of Economics, corresponding author), Özge Yüksel (0000-0002-2081-8518, İzmir University of Economics), Yasemin Meral (0000-0002-6616-7618, İzmir University of Economics) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-11 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Death Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0748-1187 • E-ISSN: 1091-7683 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07481187.2025.2604581 |
| PMID | 41416840 |
| OpenAlex | W4417502461 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
Pet owners often form deep emotional bonds with their animals, and the death of a pet can elicit grief responses similar to human loss. However, pet loss is often considered disenfranchized grief, socially unrecognized and unsupported. Guided by social-cognitive processing and attachment perspectives, this study examines how pet attachment, social constraints, and loss-related variables shape grief intensity. The study included 210 adults who lost a pet within the past year and completed measures of pet bereavement, attachment to pets, and social constraints. Attachment to the pet was the strongest predictor of grief severity, while social constraints also influenced grief, with those facing emotional inhibition experiencing greater distress. Loss-related factors such as euthanasia initially predicted grief, but their effect diminished once attachment and social constraints were considered. These findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of pet loss grief and the need for greater societal recognition and support for the bereaved pet owners
Attachment theory · Disenfranchised grief · Exploratory research · Grief · Social support · Turkish · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Meaning reconstruction & the experience of loss.
Age differences in stress and coping processes.
Older adults and companion animal death
Disenfranchised grief
Adaptation of the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire for European Portuguese Speakers
The Lived Experience of Companion-animal Loss
Grieving the loss of a pet
Grief Resulting from Euthanasia and Natural Death of Companion Animals
Online Survey as Empathic Bridging for the Disenfranchised Grief of Pet Loss
Death of a Companion Cat or Dog and Human Bereavement
Assessing Adolescents' Attachment Hierarchies
Grief and Bereavement of Israeli Dog Owners
Attachment styles, continuing bonds, and grief following companion animal death
My pet has passed”
Grief following pet and human loss
Role of Attachment in Response to Pet Loss
The Dual Process Model of Coping With Bereavement
Turkish version of the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire
Pets as safe havens and secure bases
When the Bond Breaks
Friends with benefits
Social constraints, intrusive thoughts, and depressive symptoms among bereaved mothers
Bereavement following death of a pet
Pet Grief
Development of the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire
Pet dogs as attachment figures
Human Grief Resulting from the Death of a Pet
Adjustment to the Death of a Companion Animal
Psychometric Evaluation of the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (Laps)
No Loss of Support if Attached
Pet Loss
Continuing Bonds and Psychosocial Functioning in a Recently Bereaved Pet Loss Sample
Exploring the Grief Experience Among Callers to a Pet Loss Support Hotline
Pet Loss and Representations of Death, Attachment, Depression, and Euthanasia
Pet Loss and Grief
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |