title: Psychiatric investigation of 18 bereaved pet owners.
abstract: This survey explores the grief associated with the loss of a pet, and was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaires were handed out to 50 bereaved pet owners attending a public animal cremation service, and we received 18 responses. Participants responded within 0 to 44 (median 4) days of the death of their pet. Although most mental health problems immediately following mourning are presumed to be normal grief reactions, on the basis of several psychiatric scales, 8 of the 16 valid responses indicated depression and/or neurosis. Statistical analyses showed that the following factors were significantly associated with grief reactions: age of owner, other stressful life events, family size, age of deceased animal, rearing place, and preliminary veterinary consultation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Systems Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. kimunari@gmail.com
authors.forename: Yuya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Hidenobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: Masaji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maezawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001601:Bereavement; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D057805:Pets; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological