Attachment styles, continuing bonds, and grief following companion animal death. 2024

Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
School of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.

The death of a companion animal can cause severe grief, yet previous research investigating factors predicting grief has been hampered by limitations. We explored how attachment styles, continuing bonds, and time since loss interacted to predict grief severity in a large sample of individuals grieving the loss of a variety of companion animals. Participants (n = 496) aged between18 and 79 years (M = 41.60, SD = 13.62) who had lost a companion animal in the previous three years completed a continuing bonds questionnaire, and animal-oriented assessments of grief and attachment styles online. After controlling for time since loss, higher attachment anxiety predicted more severe grief, a relationship partially moderated by continuing bonds, whereas attachment avoidance predicted less severe grief irrespective of continuing bonds. We recommend reconsideration of the non-human animal exclusion in prolonged grief disorder, and suggest that bereavement supports embrace targeted approaches that consider attachment styles.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009769 Object Attachment Emotional attachment to someone or something in the environment. Bonding (Psychology),Bonds, Emotional,Emotional Bonds,Object Relations,Symbiotic Relations (Psychology),Bonding, Psychological,Object Relationship,Psychological Bonding,Attachment, Object,Attachments, Object,Bond, Emotional,Bondings (Psychology),Emotional Bond,Object Attachments,Object Relation,Object Relationships,Relation, Object,Relation, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relations, Object,Relations, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relationship, Object,Relationships, Object,Symbiotic Relation (Psychology)
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D001841 Human-Animal Bond The emotional attachment of individuals to animals. Animal-Human Bonding,Bonding, Human-Pet,Human-Animal Bonding,Human-Pet Bonding,Pet-Human Bonding,Animal Human Bonding,Animal-Human Bondings,Bond, Human-Animal,Bonding, Animal-Human,Bonding, Human Pet,Bonding, Human-Animal,Bonding, Pet-Human,Bondings, Animal-Human,Bondings, Human-Pet,Bonds, Human-Animal,Human Animal Bond,Human Animal Bonding,Human Pet Bonding,Human-Animal Bondings,Human-Animal Bonds,Human-Pet Bondings
D005260 Female Females
D006117 Grief Normal, appropriate sorrowful response to an immediate cause. It is self-limiting and gradually subsides within a reasonable time. Mourning,Griefs,Mournings
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

Related Publications

Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
October 2006, Death studies,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
January 2015, Death studies,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
January 2011, Omega,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
January 2019, Death studies,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
January 2021, British journal of community nursing,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
October 2006, Death studies,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
June 2017, Omega,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
January 2022, Death studies,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
December 2020, The Veterinary record,
Amy D Lykins, and Paul D McGreevy, and Bindi Bennett, and Nicola K Paul, and Nick Gotsis
October 2006, Death studies,
Copied contents to your clipboard!