No Loss of Support if Attached

Attachment Not Pet Type Predicts Grief, Loss Sharing, and Perceived Support

Bibliographic Data

ID2162454
AuthorsAmity Jordan (0009-0008-4837-1843, Oakland University), Jennifer Vonk (0000-0002-4362-5989, Oakland University)
Year2024
Volume37
Issue3
Pages535-552
Publication date2024-05-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnthrozoös (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0892-7936 • E-ISSN: 1753-0377
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08927936.2024.2327175
OpenAlexW4393146656
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited65

Although there is extensive literature on bereavement after the loss of pets, it has almost exclusively focused on traditional pets, such as cats and dogs, to the exclusion of many other species that are also popular pets. We targeted caregivers of less-traditional pets, such as reptiles, birds, fish, and exotics, to assess their experiences when grieving their loss. Specifically, we examined the manner in which they reported the loss and the degree of perceived support they received from close and more distant associates as well as their grief over the loss. We surveyed 464 pet owners, 337 of whom reported the loss of a pet other than a cat or dog. We examined whether their experiences of grief, sharing loss, and receiving support differed from those of cat and dog owners. We also assessed the role of the pet (i.e., as companion or other), whether they were housed in an enclosure, concerns about the pet, and problem behaviors as predictors, with the owner's attachment to the pet as a mediator. Pet role, enclosure, and attachment significantly predicted grief. Overall, attachment was a better predictor than pet type for grief, reporting of the loss, and perceived support from others. These findings suggest that owners experience grief similarly for traditional and nontraditional pets as long as they feel bonded to their pets

Animal welfare · Animal-assisted therapy · Biology · Disenfranchised grief · Grief · HUBzero · Pet therapy · Psychotherapist · Traumatic grief · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Ecology