ABSTRACT Recognizing the deep relationship between grief and the loss of a companion animal, veterinarians and mental health practitioners often find themselves consoling pet owners both prior to and in the aftermath of pet euthanasia. Yet how does euthanasia influence this bereavement process? To explore this we examined, using a survey, the correlations between pet euthanasia, Complicated Grief (CG), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst a diverse range of pet owners from the state of Hawaii. Participants (n = 236) completed a 37-item questionnaire, the Inventory of Complicated Grief Revised Short Form (ICG-R-SF), and the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Of the participants, 3.4% and 4.7% met the criteria for CG and PTSD, respectively. This paper explores and subdivides respondents into those who attended their companion animal’s euthanasia and those who did not. Our results indicate that physically attending a companion animal’s euthanasia is not correlated with CG or PTSD. As the experience of pet loss itself may be more indicative of psychological distress than whether or not the owner was present at the moment of euthanasia, veterinary staff need not dissuade pet owners from sharing their pet’s final moments.

中文翻译：

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为您准备：参加宠物安乐死以及这是否与复杂的悲伤和创伤后应激障碍有关

摘要 认识到悲伤与失去伴侣动物之间的深刻关系，兽医和心理健康从业者经常发现自己在宠物安乐死之前和之后都在安慰宠物主人。然而，安乐死如何影响这种丧亲之痛的过程？为了探索这一点，我们使用一项调查研究了夏威夷州各种宠物主人之间的宠物安乐死、复杂性悲伤 (CG) 和创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 之间的相关性。参与者 (n = 236) 完成了 37 项问卷、复杂悲伤清单修订简表 (ICG-R-SF) 和 PTSD 检查表 (PCL)。在参与者中，分别有 3.4% 和 4.7% 符合 CG 和 PTSD 的标准。本文探讨并细分受访者为那些参加了伴侣动物安乐死的人和没有参加过安乐死的人。我们的结果表明，身体上照顾伴侣动物的安乐死与 CG 或 PTSD 无关。由于失去宠物的经历本身可能比安乐死时主人是否在场更能表明心理困扰，兽医工作人员无需劝阻宠物主人分享宠物的最后时刻。