Complicated grief and posttraumatic stress disorder in humans' response to the death of pets/animals.
The present exploratory project represents a cross-sectional study designed to determine the percentage of people reporting significant symptoms of complicated grief (CG) and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to the death of companion pets/animals. Human participants (N = 106) were sampled from a veterinary clinic. Fifty-two percent of participants had lost one to three pets from natural causes, 60% had never lost a pet to euthanasia, and 37% had lost one to three pets to euthanasia. The study suggests that many people experience significant attachment to their pets/animals and experience significant features of grief reactions (about 20%) after the death of a pet/animal. However, the percentage of people experiencing major pathological disruption is relatively low (<5%-12%). Thus, subclinical levels of grief and sadness are relatively common human responses to the death of companion pets/animals and last 6 months or more for about 30% of those sampled. Severe pathological reactions do occur but are quite rare among human survivors. Implications for mental health clinicians working with affected populations are discussed.
Adrian
Julie A Luiz
JA
Department of Animal Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii 96720, USA. jluiz@hawaii.edu
Deliramich
Aimee N
AN
Frueh
B Christopher
BC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001601:Bereavement; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006254:Hawaii; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult