| This dissertation study investigated relationships between attachment bonding, attachment style, perception of social support and pet grief using bi-variate and multi-variate correlation/regression techniques and independent samples t tests. The sample included 77 voluntary subjects who experienced pet grief within one year prior to data collection.; The hypothesized bi-variate correlations were obtained. Attachment bonding, two styles of attachment, avoidant and anxious, and perception of support were significantly associated with grief. Avoidance, bonding and social support surfaced as unique predictors of grief in a regression analysis. Demographic variables significantly associated with grief included marital status, living alone and not having children; mean score differences between subjects on these predictor variables and the dependent variable, grief, were obtained. |
