A qualitative study of companion animal loss and grief resolution
| dc.contributor.author | Stefan, Faye Marlene | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | France, Honoré | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-19T23:16:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-19T23:16:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1999 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Psychological Foundations in Education | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about the grief resolution process of bereaved pet owners. Most studies on the grieving process have outlined the stages through which the bereaved goes until the final stage of letting go of the attachment to the deceased and reinvesting that energy in new relationships. Studies regarding pet loss bereavement have been focused on the similarities of grief over the loss of a person and grief over the loss of a pet. These studies have been based on the model of grief espoused by the positivist view of stages of grief and the concept of working through to resolution. This study has taken a postpositivist perspective, and looks at bereaved pet owners' journeys through the grief experience and questions whether or not resolution has to mean letting go of the relationship attachment to the deceased. The method employed in this study was a qualitative, heuristic, descriptive model. Interviews were conducted with five childless women who had experienced the loss of a pet one year or more prior to the study. From the transcripts, an individual summary was written for each participant. An analysis was then done of the factors that influenced the grieving process. The results showed that three main factors influenced the grief experience of these participants: the quality of the relationship with the deceased pet, the support network available to the bereaved, and the way the companion animal died. Further exploration of the transcripts revealed the variety of ways the bereaved tried to work with their grief. These were: executing rituals as leave taking, writing of the experience, seeking information and knowledge about the death, regaining routines disrupted by illness and death, new pet acquisition, and sharing the experience with others. The final analysis uncovered what remains with the participants of this death experience: the traumatic quality of the death, the lack of social support, insights into the meaning of life, continued mourning as a way of maintaining attachment, and integration of the deceased pet as a continuing bond. The results indicate that the stages of grief for bereaved pet owners are similar to those outlined by other theorists in regard to grief over the loss of a person, as are the activities the bereaved engages in. The results also suggest, as Klass, Silverman, and Nickman (1996) have said, that the relationship to the deceased does not end; it influences the bereaved, and the bond continues. This is of significance to counsellors when working with individuals who have suffered the loss of a companion animal. This study helps further to identify a population of people that may be at risk of stressful bereavement and the factors that might be helpful in the identification process. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22410 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.title | A qualitative study of companion animal loss and grief resolution | |
| dc.type | Thesis |