Understanding attachment in homeless adolescents and emerging adults with pets

Abstract

ABSTRACT In general, homelessness is associated with insecure attachment and poorly developed relationships in early life, which may be one reason why homeless adolescents or emerging adults are using pets to create a first-time secure attachment. A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was used to explore homeless adolescents and emerging adults' attachment to their pet. There were 23 participants used in this study, aged 18 to 24, who were homeless in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participants all suffered from poor relationships within the parent-child dyad during child and adolescent development; these relationships contributed to homelessness. Attachment to others was discussed at this point, under the belief that a pet could act as a protective mechanism against outcomes related to insecure attachment. Pet ownership while homeless had positive aspects associated with it, like the ability to feel love and regulate emotions, though there were also negative parts of pet ownership, like having elevated levels of disdain and distrust against people. This complex study reviewing the intersection between attachment, pet ownership, and homelessness in adolescents and emerging adults provides evidence that most participants did not appear to have a change in attachment style despite upholding a close relationship to their pet.