Pets, Attachment, and Pandemic Stress: Unpacking the Emotional Lifeline

This study investigates the impact of attachment anxiety on stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the role of pet ownership as a potential moderating factor. Utilizing secondary data from a large-scale survey of 430 participants (both pet owners and non-pet owners), the research explores whether pet ownership can buffer the effects of attachment anxiety on stress. The findings indicate that higher attachment anxiety significantly predicts increased stress levels, but pet ownership does not significantly moderate this relationship. The study shows the need for tailored mental health interventions that consider individual differences in attachment styles, suggesting that while pets offer companionship, additional support mechanisms are necessary for individuals with high attachment anxiety to effectively reduce stress. This open science page provides access to the dataset, survey instruments, and code used for the analysis.