Proceedings of the International Conference on Conceptualizing Legal Framework and Policies for Domestic Animal and Wildlife Conservation: Issues and Challenges in Hybrid Mode (ICAR 2026)

International Conference on Conceptualizing Legal Framework and Policies for Domestic Animal and Wildlife Conservation: Issues and Challenges in Hybrid Mode (ICAR 2026)

📍Greater Noida, India🗓️ 16-17 January 2026
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Pets as Emotional Scaffolds: Contrasting Human Animal Bond, Emotional Regulation, Empathy, Stress, Attachment Styles and Resilience in Pet owning and non-Pet owning Families

Authors
Priya Bhatnagar1, Rhisikesh Dave2, *
1Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
2Dean, Sharda School of Law, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, India
*Corresponding author. Email: rhishikesh.dave@sharda.ac.in
Corresponding Author
Rhisikesh Dave
Available Online 7 July 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-725-5_15How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Emotional Regulation; Empathy; Perceived Stress; Resilience; Attachment Style
Abstract

The present research investigates the psychological aspects of pet ownership by comparing the levels of Emotional Regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, ERQ), Empathy (Toronto Empathy Questionaire, TEQ), Perceived Stress (Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, PSS), and Resilience (Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) amongst pet-owning (n = 85) and non-pet-owning (n = 85) families within the urban Indian context. The quantitative results were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and correlation, whereas the results of the semi structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The numeric results showed that the levels of cognitive reappraisal, empathy, and resilience were significantly higher in the pet families than the non-pet families, whereas the results for expressive suppression and perceived stress were only marginally non-significant. The results of the thematic analysis provided insights into the human-animal bond as a dynamic source of emotional regulation, with the participants referring to their pets as ‘silent therapists’ and ‘unconditional companions.’ The results also showed that the attachment style of the participants played a moderating role, with the securely attached participants showing the highest benefits of pet ownership.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Conceptualizing Legal Framework and Policies for Domestic Animal and Wildlife Conservation: Issues and Challenges in Hybrid Mode (ICAR 2026)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities
Publication Date
7 July 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-725-5
ISSN
2667-128X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-725-5_15How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Priya Bhatnagar
AU  - Rhisikesh Dave
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/07
TI  - Pets as Emotional Scaffolds: Contrasting Human Animal Bond, Emotional Regulation, Empathy, Stress, Attachment Styles and Resilience in Pet owning and non-Pet owning Families
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Conceptualizing Legal Framework and Policies for Domestic Animal and Wildlife Conservation: Issues and Challenges in Hybrid Mode (ICAR 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 169
EP  - 190
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-725-5_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-725-5_15
ID  - Bhatnagar2026
ER  -