Likert-type scale. The final version of the scale contained 26 items evenly distributed between the anxiety and
avoidance subscales.
Sample
Participants were 189 female and 111 male Israeli pet owners, ranging in age from 13 to 68 years, M527.8,
SD511.5). Seventy-eight percent of the participants completed the scales with reference to their current pet, and
the remaining 22% completed them with reference to a past pet. Most participants were dog owners (73.7%) or
cat owners (17.3%).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Zilcha-Mano et al. (2011) reported that Cronbach’s alpha were .86 and .87, for anxiety and avoidance
respectively.
Test/C0Retest
Stability coefficients after an interval of six months were .75 for anxiety and .80 for avoidance ( Zilcha-Mano
et al., 2011 ).
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
As reported for other adult attachment measures, PAQ anxiety correlated positively with a measure of neuroti-
cism (.15). PAQ anxiety was positively correlated with ECR anxiety (.60), but it was also positively correlated
with ECR avoidance (.35). PAQ avoidance was positively correlated with ECR anxiety (.19).
Divergent/Discriminant
Relatively small correlations (from .02 to .15) provided evidence that the PAQ attachment dimensions are dif-
ferent from the Big Five personality traits. For example, PAQ avoidance correlated negatively with extraversion
(2.14). PAQ avoidance was unrelated to ECR avoidance (.08).
Construct/Factor Analytic
Zilcha-Mano et al. (2011) performed a principal components analysis followed by varimax rotation, yielding
two components labeled: anxiety and avoidance. This two-dimensional structure was also supported by a confir-
matory factor analysis (see Zilcha-Mano for details).
Criterion/Predictive
PAQ anxiety and avoidance were significantly associated with self-report measures of negative expectations
regarding pet behavior in attachment-related domains, β5.23 and β5.39, p,.01, and PAQ avoidance was
inversely associated with self-report measures of positive expectations about a pet, β52 .36, p,.001. These
results are similar to what has been found in research on human-human relationships (i.e., avoidance is associ-
ated with reduced positive feelings; anxiety is associated with heightened negative feelings; Mikulincer & Shaver,
2007 ). Also, insecure attachment to pets was uniquely associated with poor mental health, and this association
was not explained by personality traits, the strength of the human-pet relationship, social desirability bias, or
even attachment in human-human relationships ( Zilcha-Mano et al., 2011 ).
Location
Zilcha-Mano, S., Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2011). An attachment perspective on human-pet relationships:
Conceptualization and assessment of pet attachment orientations. Journal of Research in Personality, 45 , 345/C0357.
Results and Comments
There do seem to be the usual two dimensions of attachment insecurity in people’s relationships with pets,
but the scales associate differently with other variables in the two different relationship domains, suggesting that
avoidant individuals might be able to experience and express their insecurity in relation to pets in ways that they
defend against experiencing in human relationships.437 MEASURES OF ATTACHMENT ORIENTATION OR ATTACHMENT STYLE
IV. INTERPERSONAL STYLES