TY  - CONF
AU  - Mandić, Milica
AU  - Branković, Marija
PY  - 2023
UR  - http://rifdt.instifdt.bg.ac.rs/123456789/3723
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine how attachment to pets relates to the psychological 
well-being of an individual. Previous research shows that relationship with pets has qualities 
of psychological attachment and can positively affect well-being: pets provide love and 
comfort to their owners, and they are perceived as support during difficult periods of life. We, 
therefore, expected that attachment to pets would be a significant predictor of psychological 
well-being. In addition, assuming that contact with pets can alleviate everyday stress, we tested 
whether a reduced experience of stress mediated this relationship. A survey was conducted 
among a community sample of pet owners (N =215). The sample consisted of respondents aged 
13 to 66 years, with an average age of 30 (M = 29.92, SD =10.70; 81.4% women). Participants 
indicated their attachment to a favorite pet (using The Short Attachment to Pets Scale; SAPS, 
α =.89), subjective well-being (using The Pemberton Happiness Index, α = .91), and the current 
level of perceived stress (using The Serbian version of the Perceived Stress Scale, α = .65). The 
results revealed a positive relationship between pet attachment and well-being (r = .238, p 
=.001). However, the assumption that attachment to pets will reduce the experience of stress 
turned out to be unsupported. Conversely, participants who were more attached to their pets 
also expressed more experience of stress (r = .211, p = .005). Mediation analysis showed that 
the relationship between pet attachment and well-being was not mediated by the experience of 
stress (b = -0.01, SE = 0.02, 95%CI [-0.05, 0.01]). One possible interpretation is that individuals 
more attached to their pets are generally more caring and emotional so they might be more 
sensitive to stressors. Another possible interpretation is that taking care of pets in itself causes 
stress. The relationship between caring for pets, stress, and well-being appears to be more 
complex and needs further study. Still, current findings can be a significant starting point for 
future research on the relationship between pet attachment and psychological well-being in the 
local cultural context.
PB  - Beograd : Filozofski fakultet
C3  - Proceedings of the XXIX scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology
T1  - Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?
SP  - 88
UR  - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rifdt_3723
ER  - 

@conference{
author = "Mandić, Milica and Branković, Marija",
year = "2023",
abstract = "The purpose of this study was to examine how attachment to pets relates to the psychological 
well-being of an individual. Previous research shows that relationship with pets has qualities 
of psychological attachment and can positively affect well-being: pets provide love and 
comfort to their owners, and they are perceived as support during difficult periods of life. We, 
therefore, expected that attachment to pets would be a significant predictor of psychological 
well-being. In addition, assuming that contact with pets can alleviate everyday stress, we tested 
whether a reduced experience of stress mediated this relationship. A survey was conducted 
among a community sample of pet owners (N =215). The sample consisted of respondents aged 
13 to 66 years, with an average age of 30 (M = 29.92, SD =10.70; 81.4% women). Participants 
indicated their attachment to a favorite pet (using The Short Attachment to Pets Scale; SAPS, 
α =.89), subjective well-being (using The Pemberton Happiness Index, α = .91), and the current 
level of perceived stress (using The Serbian version of the Perceived Stress Scale, α = .65). The 
results revealed a positive relationship between pet attachment and well-being (r = .238, p 
=.001). However, the assumption that attachment to pets will reduce the experience of stress 
turned out to be unsupported. Conversely, participants who were more attached to their pets 
also expressed more experience of stress (r = .211, p = .005). Mediation analysis showed that 
the relationship between pet attachment and well-being was not mediated by the experience of 
stress (b = -0.01, SE = 0.02, 95%CI [-0.05, 0.01]). One possible interpretation is that individuals 
more attached to their pets are generally more caring and emotional so they might be more 
sensitive to stressors. Another possible interpretation is that taking care of pets in itself causes 
stress. The relationship between caring for pets, stress, and well-being appears to be more 
complex and needs further study. Still, current findings can be a significant starting point for 
future research on the relationship between pet attachment and psychological well-being in the 
local cultural context.",
publisher = "Beograd : Filozofski fakultet",
journal = "Proceedings of the XXIX scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology",
title = "Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?",
pages = "88",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rifdt_3723"
}

Mandić, M.,& Branković, M.. (2023). Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?. in Proceedings of the XXIX scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology
Beograd : Filozofski fakultet., 88.
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rifdt_3723

Mandić M, Branković M. Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?. in Proceedings of the XXIX scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology. 2023;:88.
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rifdt_3723 .

Mandić, Milica, Branković, Marija, "Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?" in Proceedings of the XXIX scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology (2023):88,
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rifdt_3723 .