Exploring how pet attachment and existential connectedness influence loneliness

Abstract

This study investigates how existential connectedness and pet attachment influence loneliness in pet owners. Existential connectedness is a relatively new concept that further explains the relationship between loneliness and pet attachment. Participants completed the Existential Isolation Questionnaire, the Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale in order to explore whether higher attachment to a pet is related to decreased loneliness among pet owners with low existential connectedness. Participants with low existential connectedness and high pet attachment to a personal pet of their own had significantly lower loneliness scores than those participants with low existential connectedness and low pet attachment. The participants with high existential connectedness had lower levels of loneliness overall and showed no difference in loneliness scores between low and high pet attachment. This study advances the understanding of the complicated relationship between pet ownership and loneliness in pet owners.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2008

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Mottarella, Karen

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Psychology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022253

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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