ADJUSTMENT TO THE DEATH OF A COMPANION ANIMAL

As pets provide many important benefits of a psychological, social, an d physiological nature, loss of a companion animal can be a devastatin g event. The adjustment process, although similar to that experienced when a human dies, may be hindered by a lack of social support and opp ortunities for healthy confiding in others. In the current study, 49 a dults completed questionnaires assessing grief experience, mood, physi cal symptoms, and new pet acquisition. Questionnaires were completed 2 , 4, 8, and 26 weeks after the pet's death. Each time, subjects also w rote an essay in which they either confided details, thoughts, and fee lings about the pet's death (confiding condition) or wrote essays on e vents unrelated to the pet (control condition). Results indicated that , with few exceptions, the grief experience associated with the death of a companion animal is similar to that associated with the loss of a significant human. Confiding had little effect upon the adjustment pr ocess, but individuals reporting deeper relationships with their pets had more difficulty adjusting to the loss. Those with more intimate re lationships were also less likely to acquire a new pet within six mont hs. Other pre-existing family pets and the cause of the pet's death ha d no effect upon adjustment. These findings indicate that pet loss can be a significant event for many individuals, especially if the relati onship with the animal was strong. Suggestions for facilitating adjust ment and ideas for further research are presented.