ReviewAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2022
The Complexity of the Human-Animal Bond: Empathy, Attachment and Anthropomorphism in Human-Animal Relationships and Animal Hoarding.
Review in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk factors for antimicrobial-resistantFrontiers in veterinary science · 2024Pooled it
- Perspectives on dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for enhanced immunity in healthy and ill dogs: a narrative review.Veterinary and animal science · 2026Review
- Development of the Human-Equine Attachment Scale.Equine veterinary journal · 2026Article
- Behavioral Convergence with Physiological Divergence: Sex Differences in Hormones but Not Social Behavior in Beagle Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- From bond to guardianship: a serial mediation model explaining how the human-pet bond protects against pet relinquishment.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Companion animal owner "types" identified using a large-scale international assessment of the human-animal bond.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Companion animals and mental health: a narrative synthesis of how pets deliver therapeutic mechanisms outside formal provision.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Research on gamified personality test design for wildlife conservation: integrating the theory of planned behavior and empathy.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Transfer effects of animal-assisted therapy on socioemotional skills in adult inpatient rehabilitation after acquired brain injury: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet.PloS one · 2026Article
- Beyond the home: how pet ownership drives stray animal rescue willingness through empathy and moral obligation.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Comparative anthropomorphism and affective valence shape role perception and relational behaviours in human-pet dyads in Romania.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Animal Assisted Activities (AAAs) with Dogs in a Dialysis Center in Southern Italy: Evaluation of Serotonin and Oxytocin Values in Involved Patients.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Influence of phylogenetic proximity on children's empathy towards other species.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices of Dog and Cat Owners Regarding Skin Tumors: A Cross-Sectional Study.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- The mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between pet ownership and human well-being.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Behavioral factors linking sustainability and animal welfare in dairy farming.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Interspecies Relational Theory: A Framework for Compassionate Interspecies Interactions.Veterinary sciences · 2025Review
- Determination of Nursing Students' Opinions on the Use of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Care and Their Animal Love Levels.Nursing & health sciences · 2025Article
- Factors influencing the nature of client complaint behaviour in the aftermath of adverse events.The Veterinary record · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The human-animal relationship is ancient, complex and multifaceted. It may have either positive effects on humans and animals or poor or even negative and detrimental effects on animals or both humans and animals. A large body of literature has investigated the beneficial effects of this relationship in which both human and animals appear to gain physical and psychological benefits from living together in a reciprocated interaction. However, analyzing the literature with a different perspective it clearly emerges that not rarely are human-animal relationships characterized by different forms and levels of discomfort and suffering for animals and, in some cases, also for people. The negative physical and psychological consequences on animals' well-being may be very nuanced and concealed, but there are situations in which the negative consequences are clear and striking, as in the case of animal violence, abuse or neglect. Empathy, attachment and anthropomorphism are human psychological mechanisms that are considered relevant for positive and healthy relationships with animals, but when dysfunctional or pathological determine physical or psychological suffering, or both, in animals as occurs in animal hoarding. The current work reviews some of the literature on the multifaceted nature of the human-animal relationship; describes the key role of empathy, attachment and anthropomorphism in human-animal relationships; seeks to depict how these psychological processes are distorted and dysfunctional in animal hoarding, with highly detrimental effects on both animal and human well-being.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.