Older women’s experiences of companion animal death: impacts on well-being and aging-in-place

BMC Geriatrics

Morgan Kane¹  Cary A Brown¹  Douglas P Gross²  Maxi Miciak²  Jean E Wallace³  Donna M Wilson⁴  Leah Underwood⁴  Eloise Carr⁵ 

[1] Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta;Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta;Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary;Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta;Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary;

关键词: Companion animal;    Death;    Grief;    Older adult;    Women;    Social support;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-021-02410-8

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Companion animal death is a common source of grief, although the extent and context of that grief is poorly understood, especially in older adulthood. The aim of this multiple-methods study was to develop a greater understanding of the impact of companion animal death on older women living alone in the community, as older women are a distinct at-risk group, and the supports that should be available to help these individuals with their grief. Methods Participants were recruited from across Alberta, a Canadian province, through seniors’ organizations, pet rescue groups, and social media groups of interest to older women. After completing a pre-interview online questionnaire to gain demographic information and standardized pet attachment and grief measures data, participants were interviewed through the Zoom ® computer program or over the telephone. An interpretive description methodology framed the interviews, with Braun and Clarke’s 6-phase analytic method used for thematic analysis of interview data. Results In 2020, twelve participants completed the pre-interview questionnaires and nine went on to provide interview data for analysis. All were older adult (age 55+) women, living alone in the community, who had experienced the death of a companion animal in 2019. On the standardized measures, participants scored highly on attachment and loss, but low on guilt and anger. The interview data revealed three themes: catastrophic grief and multiple major losses over the death of their companion animal, immediate steps taken for recovery, and longer-term grief and loss recovery. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging and addressing companion animal grief to ensure the ongoing well-being and thus the sustained successful aging-in-place of older adult women in the community.

【 授权许可】

Unknown