Neuroticism and Religious Coping Uniquely Predict Distress Severity among Bereaved Pet Owners

TLDR: In this article, the authors examined the influence of neuroticism and religious coping on pet bereavement distress (PBD) while controlling for other variables of interest, such as demographics, demographics, social desirability, religious variables, pet attachment, death anxiety, and neuroticism, and two forms of religious coping.

Abstract: A growing body of literature grounded in contemporary psychological theory suggests that personality and religion have a significant impact on the emotional well-being of the bereaved. Although this approach has been validated in human bereavement research and proposed by specialists in the field, it has not been empirically examined in the context of pet loss. This is surprising given the large number of people who own pets, and the high emotional value placed on animal companions in society today. Thus, the purpose of this study was to fill a void in the literature by examining the influence of neuroticism and religious coping on pet bereavement distress (PBD) while controlling for other variables of interest. A total of 510 adults who had lost a pet completed an online survey measuring pet-related characteristics, demographics, social desirability, religious variables, pet attachment, death anxiety, bereavement distress, neuroticism, and two forms of religious coping. A standard multiple regres...