Understanding Pet Attachment and Happiness Linkages: The Mediating Role of Leisure Coping

Pet attachment has been shown to provide myriad benefits to individuals both physiologically and psychologically. A large percentage of individuals attached to pets may obtain happiness. However, associating pet attachment (intrinsic factor) with happiness may require leisure coping (extrinsic factor.) Therefore, further investigation into the subject of leisure coping could furnish pet owners with assistance in learning how to take advantage of leisure activities and better interact with pets to reach happiness. The relationships among pet attachment, leisure coping, and happiness were assessed in 346 pet owners aged 16-70. Empirical result shows that pet attachment indirectly affected happiness through leisure coping. The results imply that pet attachment affects an owner´s happiness through the leisure coping (particularly leisure companionship and mood enhancement leisure), and that pet attachment can transform individuals into a happy ones by encouraging them engaged in leisure activities with their pets. Hence, pet owners may be encouraged to be engaged in leisure activities with their pets for further happiness.