Psychological Mechanisms Predicting Wellbeing in Pet Owners: Rogers' Core Conditions versus Bowlby's Attachment

Teo Jillian Terese; Thomas Susan J.

摘要

While pet ownership may confer physical and psychological health benefits, existing research presents inconsistent findings, and the psychological mechanisms through which health benefits might be conferred are unknown. Exploring human-pet relationships from the perspectives of Bowlby's attachment theory, namely "attachment-related anxiety" and "attachment-related avoidance," and Rogers' core conditions including "unconditional positive regard" and "empathy" may highlight the psychological mechanisms involved. This study compared quality of life (QOL) and psychopathology in pet owners with those without pets. In the pet owners, we additionally assessed pet attachment, and perceived empathy, unconditionality, and congruence in the human-pet relationships. We then compared the relative value of Bowlby's attachment versus Rogers' core conditions in human- pet relationships as predictors of wellbeing in pet owners. Overall, pet owners and non-pet owners did not significantly differ in terms of QOL or psychopathology. However, in pet owners, secure pet attachments were associated with lower psychological distress and psychopathology, and those perceiving higher levels of Rogers' core conditions from their pets had higher QOL. Bowlby's pet attachment insecurity predicted psychological distress and psychopathology, while Rogers' total core conditions in pets were significantly predictive of QOL of owners. Differences in wellbeing may not be reliably discernable between pet owners and non-pet owners, as wellbeing is related not to pet ownership alone but to qualities of individual human-pet relationships. The results provide new information about psychological mechanisms through which human-pet interactions are conferred, and support for the applicability of both Bowlby's and Rogers' concepts.

机译：虽然养宠物可能会带来身体和心理健康的好处,现有的研究提出了不一致的结果,健康的心理机制好处可能授予是未知的。从探索human-pet关系视角鲍比的依恋理论,即“attachment-related焦虑”“attachment-related回避”,罗杰斯的核心包括“无条件的积极条件视”和“移情”突出了心理机制。而生活质量(QOL)和精神病理学与那些没有宠物的主人宠物。宠物依恋,认为同理心,human-pet unconditionality,同余的关系。鲍比的依恋与罗杰斯的核心价值条件在人类——作为宠物的关系预测宠物主人的幸福。宠物主人和其他不养宠物的人没有显著不同的生命质量精神病理学。宠物附件较低有关心理压力和精神病理学这些感知更高水平的罗杰斯的核心条件的宠物有更高的生活质量。鲍比的宠物依恋安全预测心理压力和精神病理学,而罗杰斯的总在宠物的核心条件生命质量的明显前兆的主人。幸福的差异可能不可靠可辨别的宠物主人和忽视主人,幸福不是宠物有关孤独但品质的个人所有权human-pet关系。信息的心理机制通过哪些human-pet交互授予和支持的适用性鲍比和罗杰斯的概念。

Psychological Mechanisms Predicting Wellbeing in Pet Owners: Rogers' Core Conditions versus Bowlby's Attachment

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