Level of depression as a function of the human -animal bond and attachment -related avoidance features

Humans develop a special relationship with pets that is not easily measured or understood, with some research indicating that the emotional bond with a pet is physically and psychologically beneficial for the pet owner and that the process of developing an emotional bond with a pet is related to the attachment characteristics that humans develop during infancy and maintain throughout adulthood. This study sought to examine the relationship between the attachment-related avoidance features of adults, the strength of the bond with a pet for those individuals and the subsequent psychological benefit of the human–animal bond, specifically related to depression. This study found significantly significant relationships between attachment-related avoidance features of pet owners with the levels of depression and levels of pet attachment for those pet owners. Participants with high levels of attachment-related avoidance features identified a higher level of depression and a higher level of pet attachment than individuals with low levels of attachment-related avoidance features, and as attachment-related avoidance features increases, both the level of depression and level of pet attachment also increase. The study also identified that participants with high levels of depression were more emotionally bonded to their pets than individuals with low levels of depression, and as the level of depression increases, level of attachment to pets also increases.