PREDICTING INTERPERSONAL DIFFICULTIES IN YOUNG ADULTS: THE ROLES OF PARENTAL DISCORD, SEPARATION ANXIETY, AND PET ATTACHMENT

Abstract

The present study aimed to find out the relationship between Parental Discord, Separation Anxiety, Pet Attachment and Interpersonal difficulties in Young Adults. A sample of 300 respondents, with an equal number of males and females, was selected from both the public and private sectors to ensure equal representation, to minimize selection bias. The participants were young adults aged between 18-25 years currently owning a pet or owned one before. Key measures included the Adult Separation Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire ASA-27 – (Manicavasagar et al.,2003), the Pet Attachment and Life Impact Scale (Cromer & Barlow,2013), PALS, the Interpersonal Difficulties Scale for University Students, IDS (Saleem et al., 2014), and the Perceived Parental Disharmony Scale for Adolescents (Amjad & Saleem, 2014). Ethical considerations were attended to exceedingly well with informed consent and data confidentiality. Data was collected through in-person surveys with the simple random sampling method. The results showed a positive relationship between parental discord, separation anxiety and Interpersonal difficulties while pet attachment just showed a positive and significant relationship with separation anxiety. The implication will help mental health professionals to use pet therapy or animal-assisted intervention when treating young adults with separation anxiety and interpersonal problems caused by family issues.