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Psychological well-being of pet ownership in Singapore
Author
Diana
Supervisor
Lee, Boon Ooi
Abstract
Pets have a special status in human lives. In Singapore, pet ownership mirrors worldwide increasing trend, along with growing focus on animal welfare. While numerous benefits have been reported with pet ownership, findings remain mixed with contrasting results. Nevertheless, the association between pets and the psychological functioning of pet owners remains clear, with animals increasingly being included in psychological interventions. This study explored the significance of pets in the psychological well-being of their owners using a phenomenological approach. Three research questions were identified to gain more insight into the experience of pet ownership: (1) Why do people have pets? (2) How do pet owners perceive their pets? and (3) How has having a pet made a difference in pet owners? A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit four female dog owners as participants. Data were collected in two stages via semi-structured interviews and personality assessments. Findings were organised into themes that corresponded to the three research questions. All the participants reported strong commitment to pet ownership and made numerous changes in various aspects of their lives in adjusting to their pets. They consider their pets as human equivalents, thereby allowing the pets to function as attachment figures and family members. Consequently, participants experienced increased socialisation, a keen sense of personal identity, personal growth and meaning, and had the opportunity to address existential concerns such as death anxiety. Pet ownership is thus considered a meaningful experience that contributes significantly to the psychological well-being of pet owners. Findings from this study have important implications on counselling, including advocating for pets to be included as social support, grief counselling with pet loss and development to animal-assisted interventions in the local context. Limitations are discussed and future research is recommended.
Date Issued
2018
Call Number
BF575.H27 Dia
Date Submitted
2018