People with pets: Understanding the influence of human-companion animal attachment on empathy and resilient coping in adulthood.

This research investigated the association of current human-companion animal attachment with adult levels of empathy and resilient coping. Various research findings have reported benefits from people interacting with companion animals. A better understanding is needed of the human-companion animal relationship, and the associations which that relationship has with human prosocial and protective factors. Pet-owning adults (n = 352) completed an online survey measuring attachment with a current pet, interpersonal empathy, resilient coping, and current attachment with another adult as a possible covariate. Current human-animal attachment does not appear to be related to current human attachment. There are not significant associations between current human-animal attachment and overall empathy or any of the measured dimensions of empathy, or with resilient coping. Institutions, therapists, and other practitioners of animal-assisted therapies may not need to rely on the formation of a strong human-companion animal bond in order for some benefits to occur. --P. ii.