The Effect of Pet Attachment, Self-Compassion, and Social Constraint on Pet Bereavement
Abstract
Pets play a significant role in their owners' lives. Psychological studies have found that pet loss is one of the contributing factors to depression. The grieving response experienced by pet owners following the loss of their pets is referred to as pet bereavement. This study aims to examine the influence of pet attachment, self-compassion, and social constraint on pet bereavement. This research employs a quantitative approach with a sample of 250 individuals who have experienced pet loss and reside in Indonesia. The sampling technique used is non-probability sampling. The Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ) developed by Hunt & Padilla (2006) was used to measure pet bereavement, the Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale (LAPS) developed by Johnson et al. (1992) was used to assess pet attachment. Self-compassion was measured using the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) developed by Neff (2003), and social constraint was assessed using the Social Constraint Scale developed by Lepore et al. (1996). Data analysis was conducted using multiple regression analysis. The regression test results showed an R-squared value of .727, indicating that pet attachment, self-compassion, and social constraint significantly influence pet bereavement, accounting for 72.7% of the variance. The significance test results revealed that three variables had a significant impact on pet bereavement: general attachment (p < .05), people substituting (p < .05), and gender (p < .05). Based on these findings, it is recommended that pet owners develop a healthy attachment to their pets and engage with animal lover communities to receive social support during times of loss.
Keywords
References
Archer, J., & Winchester, G. (1994). Bereavement following death of a pet. British Journal of Psychology, 85(2), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1994.tb02522.x
Archer, J. (1996). Sex differences in social behavior: Are the social role and evolutionary explanations compatible? American Psychologist, 51(9), 909–917. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.9.909
Archer, J. (1997). Why do people love their pets? Evolution and Human Behavior, 18(4), 237–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0162-3095(99)80001-4
Bluth, K., Mullarkey, M., dan Lathren, C. (2018). Self-compassion: A potential path to adolescent resilience and positive exploration. J Child Fam Stud, 27(9), 3037-3047. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/10826.018.1125.1
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American Ortopsyciatric Association, 52(4), 664-678. https://doi.org/10.1111/1939.0025.1982.01456
Brown, O. K. & Symon, D. K. (2016). My pet has passed: Relations of adult attachment styles and current feelings of grief and trauma after the event. Death Studies, 40(4), 247-255. https://doi.org/.1080/07481187.2015.1128499.
Bussolari, C., Habarth, J. M., Phillips, S., Katz, R., & Packman, W. (2018). Self compassion, social constraints, and psychosocial outcomes in a pet bereavement sample. Journal of Death and Dying, 32(3), 389 - 408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222818814050
Carmack, B. J. (1985). The effects on family members and functioning after the death of a pet. Marriage and Family Review, 8, 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1300/002080311.
Field, N. P., Orsini, L., Gavish, R., & Packman, W. (2009). Role of attachment in response to pet loss. Death studies, 33(4), 334-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180802705783
Hunt, M. & Padilla, Y. (2006). Development of the pet bereavement questionnaire. Anthrozoos, 19(4), 308-324. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279306785415493.
Johnson, T. P., Garrity, T. F., & Stallones, L. (1992). Psychometric evaluation of the lexington attachment to pets scale (LAPS). Anthrozoos, 5(3), 160-175. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279392787011395.
Juth, V., Smyth, J. M., Carey, M. P., & Lepore, S. J. (2015). Social constraint are associated with negative psychological and physical adjustment in bereavement. The International Association of Applied Psychology, 7(2), 129-148. Doi: 10.1111/12041
Kubler-Ross, E. On the death and dying. Wanti (terj). 1998. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Lepore, S. J., Silver, R.C., Wortman, C. B., & Hayment, H. A. (1996). Social constraints, intrusive thoughts, and depressive symptoms among bereaved mothers. Journal of personality and social psychology, 70(2), 271-282. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.2.271.
McCarthy, M., & Sable, P. (2010). Pet loss and bereavement: A review of the literature. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 6(3), 185-196.
Neff, K. D. (2003b). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Taylor & Francis Group, 2(2), 85- 101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032.
Neff, K. D., Kirkpatrick, K. L., & Rude, S. S. (2007). Self-compassion and its link to adaptive psychological functioning. Journal of Research in Personality, 139–154. https:// 10.1016/j.jrp.2006.03.004
Neidhart, L. & Boyd, R. (2002). Companion animal adaption study. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 5(3), 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1207/5153276040503.02
Planchon, L. A., Templer, D. I., Stokes, S., & Keller, J. (2002). Death of a companion cat or dog and human bereavement: Psychological variables. society & animals, 10(1), 93-105. Retrived from https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/10/1/article-p93_7.xml
Park, R. M., Royal, K. D., & Gruen, M. E. (2021). A literature review: Pet bereavement and coping mechanisms. Journal of Applied Welfare Science, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2021.1934839.
Rahardjo, I. A., Takwin, B., & Oriza, I. I, D., (2021). Pengaruh socio-cultural influences dan self-compassion terhadap apresiasi tubuh wanita: Social appearance comparison sebagai mediator. TAZKIYA Journal of Psychology, 9(1), 52-63. https://doi.org/10.15408/tazkiya.v9i1.19051
Sable, P. (1995). Pets, attachment, and well-being across the life cycle. Oxford University Press, 40(3), 334-341. https://doi.org/10.1093/40.3.334.
Sugianto, D., Suwartono, C., & Sutanto, S. H. (2020). Reliability and validity of the Indonesian version of self-compassion scale. Jurnal Psikologi Ulayat. 7(2), 177-191. https://doi.org/10.24854/jpu107
Triebenbacher, S. L. (1998). Pet as transitional objects: Their role in children emotional development. psychological reports, 82(1), 191-200. https://doi.org/10.2466/1998.82.1.191
Zasloff, R. L., & Kidd, A. (1994). Loneliness and pet ownership among single women. Psychological Reports, 75, 747–752. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.2.747
Zilcha-Mano, S., Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2012). Pets as safe havens and secure bases: The moderating role of pet attachment orientations. Journal of Research in Personality, 46(5), 571-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2012.06.00
DOI: 10.15408/tazkiya.v13i1.45606
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.