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Grief across bonds: impact of human and dog bereavement on people with borderline personality disorder
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Date
2026-04-28
Authors
Kavanagh, Keeva
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is also referred to as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). From this point forward, it will be referred to solely as BPD, as much of the literature continues to use this terminology, and the ICD-11 removed the term EUPD. BPD is a form of personality disorder that impacts a person in a range of ways, including emotional regulation, sense of self and identity formation, mood instability, and impulsive behaviours. It can also impact interpersonal relationships, for example, an intense fear of abandonment. Some research has suggested that people with BPD may form easier attachments with animals, due to the perception of them providing non-judgmental and unconditional support. Bereavement, while a normative part of life, is one of life’s most stressful events and can impact a person’s wellbeing with increased anxiety, low mood, and an impaired sense of self. Despite the known interpersonal difficulties for those with BPD, very little research has been conducted to understand the impact of bereavement on those with BPD and even less on the impact of the death of a dog. Therefore, this thesis aimed to produce a synthesis of the available literature on this area and explore the perceived impact of dog bereavement.
Method: As there has never been a review completed in this area, it was felt that a scoping review would be most appropriate to gain clarity on the level and type of research that has been conducted in this area, and to produce a narrative synthesis of this literature. Study two aimed to address the gap within the literature, exploring the perceived impact of dog bereavement on this population. Participants were recruited through community recruitment through advertisements online on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Four participants completed semi-structured, online interviews. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Results: 10 papers were identified for inclusion in the scoping review. An important finding of this review was the lack of research, particularly empirical research, exploring the impact of bereavement on people with BPD. However, results from this review indicated that people experience an increase in BPD symptomology, such as impulsive behaviours and impacted interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, it highlighted the increased risk for symptomology in the immediate aftermath of the bereavement. The findings also indicate that there can be a re-emergence of BPD in later adulthood due to normative but stressful life experiences such as bereavement. However, further research is required to understand the impact of bereavement on this population fully. The empirical study further supported this argument that bereavement can impact BPD symptomology. The participants spoke of their experience of emotional dysregulation, fear of suicidality and dissociation following the death of their dogs. This study highlighted the connection between humans and dogs, and the role they provided for people with BPD, such as consistency, support, and regulation. However, following the death, the loss of this impacted their sense of self. An interesting finding was post-traumatic growth, whereby the participants identified new roles or confidence in their abilities to manage life stressors following the bereavement.
Conclusions: Further research is needed to gain a full understanding of the impact of bereavement on people with BPD. However, the results from this thesis suggest that people with BPD will experience increased symptomology following a bereavement, particularly in the immediate aftermath. This highlights the need for increased support during this time. It also demonstrated the important role a dog can play in the management of BPD, and it is important that clinicians are aware of the significant impact their deaths may have on a client’s well-being.
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Keywords
BPD , EUPD , Bereavement , Scoping review , IPA
Citation
Kavanagh, K. 2026. Grief across bonds: impact of human and dog bereavement on people with borderline personality disorder. DClinPsych Thesis, University College Cork.