Bereavement for Companion Animals: Intensity, Moderating Variables, and Effects on Wellbeing

Abstract

This study examines the intensity of grieving experienced by volunteers from animal protection organizations in southern Spain. A total of 130 volunteers (86% female; M = 42.0 years) reported on their reactions to loss following the death of animals under their care, levels of empathy, anthropomorphism, and attachment experienced toward these animals, received social support, and overall health status. The results showed that 65.5% of participants displayed signs of general complicated grieving (83% on the grief scale; 40% on the anger scale; 47% on the guilt scale). The intensity of grief was associated with higher symptomatology (linear polynomial ANOVA, **p < .01). The linear regression analysis revealed a relationship between attachment levels, anthropomorphism, empathy, family support (inverse), and the intensity of grieving experienced (*p < .05). Taken together, these findings indicate the existence of complicated mourning reactions among volunteer staff in animal protection organizations, justifying the development of specific prevention programs.

Keywords:

• Companion animals
• bereavement
• grieving
• health outcomes
• volunteers
• animal protection organizations

Data availability statement

Dataset is available upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Junta de Andalucía, España (ref. PAIDI20_01175).

Notes on contributors

Javier López-Cepero

Javier López-Cepero, PhD in Psychology and Associate Professor at the University of Seville. He has spent more than a decade studying the bond between humans and other animals, including topics such as the benefits of coexistence, the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapies, the creation of resources for volunteer staff of protective entities, and many others. He also has a long career as a professor and communicator in this same field. Currently, he leads the HABIER lab (https://grupos.us.es/habier), a working group dedicated to promoting the advancement of human-animal interaction studies at the University.

Jesús Garcia-Martínez

Jesús García-Martínez, Professor in the Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment at the University of Seville. Psychotherapist specialized in narrative and constructivist therapies. Associate member of The TAOS Institute. He works in the fields of therapy in situations of violence, the study of the therapeutic process, and identity narratives. He has been president of the Spanish Association of Constructivist Psychotherapies.

Rafael Martos-Montes

Rafael Martos-Montes, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Jaén. His research work has been developed in the field of Learning Psychology and recently in the field of anthrozoology or the study of human-animal interaction, where he has directed the Master’s Degree in Animal Assisted Intervention since 2015. In the last decade, his research interests have focused on the benefits of human-animal interaction, both psychophysiological and affective, as well as on the analysis of the possible explanatory mechanisms of the efficacy of animal-assisted intervention in people with autism spectrum disorder.

Francisco Rivera

Francisco Rivera, Professor at the University of Seville (Spain). Expert in methodology applied to health and behavioral sciences. Professor in Psychometrics in the degree of Title: Bereav Psychology and in courses related to the validation and use of psychological tests. Researcher of the Spanish team of the HBSC Study (www.hbsc.es) -which analyzes the lifestyles and health in adolescence- and researcher of the Childhood and Adolescence Opinion Barometer (www.barometro-opina.es) -that studies social and political concerns and opinions in childhood-.