Grief after pet death may be as strong as for a family member, survey shows

A UK survey of 975 adults found 7.5% of people who had lost pets met criteria for prolonged grief disorder, a rate close to that for some human losses; the study's author has called for diagnostic guidelines to be expanded to include pet bereavement.

A UK survey suggests grief after the death of a pet can be as prolonged and severe as grief for a human family member. The study, published in PLOS One, identified cases meeting the diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder (PGD) among people who had lost pets. PGD is described in the study as an enduring condition involving intense longing, difficulty socialising, and impairment in daily life. The study's author, Philip Hyland of Maynooth University, recommends that diagnostic guidelines be reviewed to consider pet loss. Key findings: - The survey sampled 975 adults in the UK and found 7.5% of people who had lost pets met the criteria for PGD. - That rate was similar to the proportion who met PGD criteria after the death of a close friend and was close to rates reported after some human family losses. - The researchers estimated about one in 12 cases of PGD in the UK may be linked to the death of a pet, given pet ownership and shorter pet lifespans. - Current diagnostic guidelines exclude pet loss from the bereavement criterion for PGD, and the study's author has called for those guidelines to be expanded. Summary: The research indicates that serious, long-lasting grief following pet death can match the clinical profile seen after human losses and contributes to a measurable share of PGD cases in the UK. The author has argued that diagnostic criteria should be reconsidered so pet loss is not automatically excluded. Undetermined at this time.