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1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss

01.14.26 | PLOS

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No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet
1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss. Credit: Eric Ward, Unsplash, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss

Article URL : https://plos.io/3LmqYmf

Article title: No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet

Author countries: Ireland

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0339213

No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet

14-Jan-2026

The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Animals Clinical Psychology Domesticated Animals Mental Health Pet Animals Social Sciences

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0339213
Article Publication Date
2026-01-14
Article Title
No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet
COI Statement
The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2026, January 14). 1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LN2PNGK1/1-in-5-surveyed-uk-adults-who-have-experienced-the-death-of-a-pet-report-it-as-more-distressing-than-experienced-human-deaths-with-significant-rates-of-prolonged-grief-disorder-symptoms-also-being-rep.html
MLA:
"1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss." Brightsurf News, Jan. 14 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LN2PNGK1/1-in-5-surveyed-uk-adults-who-have-experienced-the-death-of-a-pet-report-it-as-more-distressing-than-experienced-human-deaths-with-significant-rates-of-prolonged-grief-disorder-symptoms-also-being-rep.html.