Predicting animal attachment from hypnotizability, absorption, and dissociation scores.

Using a sample of nearly 300 undergraduate students, we examined whether absorption, dissociation, and hypnotizability were linked with pet attachment, and whether completing assessment scales in the same or different testing contexts affected the association. We found a positive correlation between scores on the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS; Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974) and the Companion Animal Bonding Scale (CABS; Poresky, Hendrix, & Mosier, 1987), but failed to find a positive link between animal attachment and scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES; Bernstein & Putnam, 1986). We observed a small positive correlation between Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A; Shor & Orne, 1962) scores and animal attachment among our female participants. Collectively, absorption, dissociation, hypnotizability, age, gender, years owning a pet, and the testing context accounted for no more than 16% of the variance in CABS scores.