LE3 .A278 2019

2018

Symons, Doug

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Psychology

Psychology

The current study investigated the relation between attachment style, pet loss, offline and online bereavement activities and their effect on complicated grief. Participants answered a questionnaire assessing measures of attachment, pet attachment, complicated grief and bereavement activities. The survey was shared across multiple pet-oriented Facebook groups; 88 participants responded, 80 =female. Results contributed to an understanding of attachment style, bereavement activity, and complicated grief within Bowlby’s (1980) original descriptions of loss. An anxious attachment style was shown to be related to poorer adjustment to bereavement and avoidance as a buffer against grief. We cannot assume that online and other bereavement activities are necessarily helpful; involvement may be a manifestation of complicated grief symptoms in the first place.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3289