Posttraumatic Growth Following the Loss of a Pet

2016 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Packman ◽  
Cori Bussolari ◽  
Rachel Katz ◽  
Betty J. Carmack ◽  
Nigel P. Field
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Continuing Bonds ◽  
Attachment Relationship ◽  
Unconditional Love ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Spiritual Change ◽  
Five Factors

The current study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG) experienced by bereaved pet owners following the death of their pet. Using qualitative methodology, we analyzed responses of 308 participants who answered yes to a question about experiencing PTG. Within the five factors model of PTG, the most endorsed included the following: Relating to Others ( n = 76), Appreciation of Life ( n = 52), Personal Strength ( n = 51), Spiritual Change ( n = 32), and New Possibilities ( n = 29). Other themes not captured by the PTG included as follows: relating to animals ( n = 70), continuing bonds ( n = 53), attachment relationship ( n = 44), and unconditional love ( n = 13). Our findings support the notion that PTG occurs for people who have experienced pet loss, with new emergent themes.

Posttraumatic Growth Following the Loss of a Pet: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cori Bussolari ◽  
Janice Habarth ◽  
Satoko Kimpara ◽  
Rachel Katz ◽  
France Carlos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
French Canada ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth Inventory ◽  
Cultural Responses

The current study examined Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) experienced by bereaved pet owners in the United States, French-Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong following the death of their pet. Using qualitative methodology, we analyzed responses of participants who answered “yes” to a question about experiencing PTG and explored to what extent the cross-cultural responses mapped onto the five factors of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). For the U.S. sample, 58% of responses mapped onto the PTGI. For French-Canada, 72% of responses mapped onto the PTGI. For Japan, 50% of responses mapped onto the PTGI and for Hong Kong, 39% of responses mapped onto the PTGI. We also explored emergent categories related to PTG for individuals who have lost a pet and discerned the unique aspects for PTG across cultures.

Online Survey as Empathic Bridging for the Disenfranchised Grief of Pet Loss

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Packman ◽  
Betty J. Carmack ◽  
Rachel Katz ◽  
France Carlos ◽  
Nigel P. Field ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Continuing Bonds ◽  
French Canadian ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Cross Cultural Study ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Grief Reactions

The current cross-cultural study investigated grief reactions of bereaved individuals following the death of a pet. We used qualitative methodology to compare, analyze, and report responses of U.S. and French Canadian participants to the last open-ended question on our online pet loss survey. We explored the degree to which our data illustrated pet loss as disenfranchised grief and asked whether there are differences and commonalities in the expression of grief between the two samples. Four major themes emerged: lack of validation and support; intensity of loss; nature of the human pet relationship; and continuing bonds. Findings confirm that, for both the U.S. and French Canadian participants, pet loss is often disenfranchised grief and there are ways to facilitate expressions of grief. Many participants wrote that the survey was therapeutic. Our survey allowed participants to express their grief in an anonymous, safe way by serving as empathic bridging and a willingness to help others.

Pet Loss in Death-Related Literature for Children

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. Corr
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycles ◽  
General Category ◽  
Story Line ◽  
Unconditional Love ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Bibliographical Information ◽  
Principal Subject ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Living Creature

The death of a pet—or, as some prefer to call it, a companion animal—is a frequent subject in death-related literature for children. Pets are important to children for many reasons; for example, they serve as friends, playmates, and sources of unconditional love. In addition, pets help teach children about the responsibilities that are involved in caring for another living creature. Also, because the life cycles of most animals that become pets are much shorter than those of the humans who care for them, pets often teach children important lessons about loss, death, grief, and coping. For all of these reasons, when I began writing about death-related literature for children my attention was soon drawn to books within that general category that told stories about the death of a pet. In this article, my purpose is to describe and examine a selected sample of 20 books for children whose principal subject or story line is concerned with pet loss. Full bibliographical information for each of these books appears in the list of “Children's Literature” at the end of this article.

Pet Loss: Understanding Disenfranchised Grief, Memorial Use, and Posttraumatic Growth

Anthrozoös ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Breeanna Spain ◽  
Lisel O’Dwyer ◽  
Stephen Moston
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
Pet Loss

Posttraumatic Growth and Continuing Bonds

2017 ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Tedeschi ◽  
Ana I. Orejuela-Dávila ◽  
Paisley Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Continuing Bonds

Continuing Bonds and Psychosocial Adjustment in Pet Loss

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Packman ◽  
Nigel P. Field ◽  
Betty J. Carmack ◽  
Rama Ronen
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Continuing Bonds ◽  
Pet Loss

scholarly journals Personal Resources and Spiritual Change among Participants’ Hostilities in Ukraine: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Turn to Religion

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Iwona Niewiadomska ◽  
Krzysztof Jurek ◽  
Joanna Chwaszcz ◽  
Patrycja Wośko ◽  
Magdalena Korżyńska-Piętas
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Spiritual Change ◽  
The Relationship

The theory of conservation of resources (COR) can be used for searching mechanisms which explain spiritual changes caused by trauma. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relationship between distribution of personal resources and spiritual change, as well as the mediating role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and turn to religion (stress coping strategy) in this relationship among participants’ hostilities in Ukraine. A total of 314 adults—74 women and 235 men—participated in the study. The mean age was 72.59. Polish adaptation of Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources-Evaluation (COR-E), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C), the Inventory for Measuring Coping with Stress (MINI-COPE), and The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were employed in the research. The mediating role of posttraumatic stress disorder and turn to religion in relationship between personal resources loss and spiritual change was confirmed. The turn to religion plays the role of mediator in relationship between personal resources gain/assigning value to personal resources and spiritual change. The results justify the postulate of conducting further research in the field of testing models which take into account the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, religious coping stress, and posttraumatic spiritual change. The conducted analyses should include the assumptions of the COR theory as well as psychological, social, and situational factors that could generate spiritual change.

Mourning the Loss of a Pet

1998 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 396-407
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Strong Belief ◽  
Human Data ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Pet Owners

In this paper the author explores the process of mourning as experienced by bereaved pet owners. Losing a pet is an agonizing experience. It was expected that the process of mourning for a pet loss would be similar to the process associated with the loss of a human. Data were collected by viewing postings on the alt.support.grief.pet-loss newsgroup. Those who suffered the loss of a pet expressed qualities associated with Parks' (1987) four-phased process of mourning. Two serendipitous findings were the role of guilt and the strong belief in an afterlife for the pet.

Pet Loss and Disenfranchised Grief: Implications for Mental Health Counseling Practice

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Millie Cordaro
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Pet Loss ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Grief Reactions

Counselors who acknowledge and validate the implications of pet loss will help to re-enfranchise an undervalued grief. In the article, pet loss is conceptualized using both a traditional model of grief, Kubler-Ross's stages of grief, and two contemporary models of loss adaptation, the dual process model and adaptive grieving. General grief reactions to pet loss are discussed, along with the negative impact of disenfranchised grief for pet bereavement. Finally, I address the use of grief counseling, self-help, and community resources for bereaved pet owners.

Exploring the Relationship Among Posttraumatic Growth, Life Satisfaction, and Happiness Among Korean Individuals With Physical Disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 312-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhyoung Kim ◽  
May Kim ◽  
Se-Hyuk Park
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Physical Disabilities ◽  
Spiritual Change ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Relationship

A growing body of empirical evidence has demonstrated that individuals who experience traumatic and stressful life events can experience positive psychological changes as a result of their struggles with adversity, stress, and trauma. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship among five domains (e.g., as relating to others, recognition of new possibilities, a feeling of personal strength, and spiritual change) of posttraumatic growth, happiness, and life satisfaction among Korean individuals with physical disabilities. The results of this study show that three factors (i.e., recognition of new possibilities, experience of spiritual growth, and an appreciation of life) served as predictors of life satisfaction, and two factors (i.e., recognition of new possibilities and personal strength) predicted happiness. This result suggests that certain factors of posttraumatic growth can lead to particular health benefits and influence these benefits to varied extents.

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