首页 > 分享 > The relationship between attachment to pets and mental health: the shared link via attachment to humans,BMC Psychiatry

The relationship between attachment to pets and mental health: the shared link via attachment to humans,BMC Psychiatry

萌宠菠菠乐园
2024-10-30 02:13

Several studies have investigated the relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental health with the majority of studies finding a negative relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental health. Interestingly, attachment to pets differs from attachment to humans with studies showing that humans with an insecure attachment style form a particularly strong emotional attachment to their companion animals. Human attachment style is also related to mental health with secure attachment being associated with superior mental health. Building on those findings, the current study aimed at exploring the role of attachment to humans in the relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental health. In this cross-sectional online survey (N = 610) we assessed the strength of emotional attachment to pets and attachment to humans. We further collected pet specific data as well as mental health burden in a sample of German dog owners (Mage=33.12; 92.79% women). We used a mediation model estimating the indirect link between emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden via human attachment and the direct link between emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden simultaneously. We found that attachment to humans fully mediated the positive association between emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden. A stronger emotional attachment to one’s dog was associated with lower comfort with depending on or trusting in others, whereby lower comfort with depending on or trusting in others was related to higher mental health burden. Moreover, a stronger attachment to one’s dog was also related to a greater fear of being rejected and unloved (Anxiety), which was, in turn, associated with a higher mental health burden. Our findings suggest that the positive link between emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden is fully accounted for by its shared variance with insecure attachment to humans in a sample mostly comprising self-identified women. Future studies need to examine whether strong emotional bonds with pets may evolve as a compensatory strategy to buffer difficult childhood bonding experiences.

中文翻译：

对宠物的依恋与心理健康之间的关系：通过对人类的依恋的共享链接

几项研究调查了对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康之间的关系，大多数研究发现对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康之间存在负相关关系。有趣的是，对宠物的依恋与对人类的依恋不同，研究表明，具有不安全依恋风格的人类对其伴侣动物形成特别强烈的情感依恋。人类依恋风格也与心理健康有关，安全依恋与卓越的心理健康有关。基于这些发现，目前的研究旨在探索人类依恋在宠物情感依恋与心理健康之间的关系中的作用。在这项横断面在线调查 (N = 610) 中，我们评估了对宠物的情感依恋和对人类的依恋强度。我们进一步收集了德国狗主人样本（法师=33.12；92.79% 女性）的宠物特定数据以及心理健康负担。我们使用了一个中介模型，通过人类依恋估计了对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的间接联系，以及对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的直接联系。我们发现，对人类的依恋完全调节了对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的正相关。对狗的强烈情感依恋与依赖或信任他人的舒适度较低有关，依赖或信任他人的舒适度较低与较高的心理健康负担有关。此外，对狗的更强烈依恋也与更害怕被拒绝和不被爱（焦虑）有关，而这反过来又与更高的心理健康负担有关。我们的研究结果表明，对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的积极联系完全可以通过其与对人类的不安全依恋的共同差异来解释，该样本主要包括自我认同的女性。未来的研究需要检验与宠物的强烈情感纽带是否会演变为一种补偿策略，以缓冲童年时期的困难纽带经历。与较高的心理健康负担有关。我们的研究结果表明，对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的积极联系完全可以通过其与对人类的不安全依恋的共同差异来解释，该样本主要包括自我认同的女性。未来的研究需要检验与宠物的强烈情感纽带是否会演变为一种补偿策略，以缓冲童年时期的困难纽带经历。与较高的心理健康负担有关。我们的研究结果表明，对宠物的情感依恋与心理健康负担之间的积极联系完全可以通过其与对人类的不安全依恋的共同差异来解释，该样本主要包括自我认同的女性。未来的研究需要检验与宠物的强烈情感纽带是否会演变为一种补偿策略，以缓冲童年时期的困难纽带经历。