Pet Attachment, Empathy and Mindful Self Care among Young Adults

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between pet attachment, empathy and mindful self-care in young adult owners of pet dogs (n=226, 151 female) aged 18-45 years. The Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) and Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS-Brief) were used. Results showed that while women have significantly higher pet attachment and empathy, there were no gender differences in mindful self-care. In terms of magnitude of correlation, the correlation between pet attachment and empathy is higher in men than in women, and the correlation between empathy and mindful self-care was found to be significantly higher in women than in men. The relationship between pet attachment and mindful self-care is found to be similar in men and women. Further research is needed to study the potential of a causal relationship between pet attachment and the development of empathy and self-care practices, particularly in the Indian context.