HABRI Central

In This Series

1. "Why should the fish feel safe? I don't feel safe!": An Audit of Pet Ownership within an NHS Service for Adults with Severe Mental Illness, with Lessons for Service Improvement

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Abigail Alfrey, Steve Church, Niki Christodoulou, Emma Harding

   Background—Several studies have identified that pets can promote mental health, wellness, and recovery. However, little is known about the impact of pet ownership upon those with a severe mental illness (SMI), or whether mental health services are offering sufficient support that is...

2. Not So Different as Cats and Dogs: Companionship during the COVID-19 Pandemic

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Shelly Volsche, Elizabeth Johnson

   COVID- 19 lockdown provided a unique, in situ opportunity to probe caretaker experiences of living with companion animals during a stressful event. We launched an online survey in the United States that included standard demographic questions, questions related to household structures, and 25...

3. Attachment and Perceived Stress among Pet Owners before and during the Lockdown in China

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Sara Platto, Agathe Serres, Simona R. C. Normando, Wang Yanqing, Dennis C. Turner

   The current pandemic has brought a lot of social and economic strains to families worldwide, as well as making a huge impact on the long- term care of companion animals. The current study explored differences in the attachment level of owners toward their pets and their perceived stress before...

4. Perceptions and Practices of Key Worker Stakeholder Groups in Hospital Animal- Assisted Intervention Programs on Occupational Benefits and Perceived Risks

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Kathryn R. Dalton, William Altekruse, Peter Campbell, Kathy Ruble, Karen C. Carroll, Roland J. Thorpe Jr., Jacqueline Agnew, Meghan F. Davis

   Background: Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) programs, used widely for patient benefit, have increasingly been used for healthcare workers (HCW) to reduce occupational stress. However, there are barriers to these programs which limit their utilization, for both patients and HCW,...

5. A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Human Well-Being Related to the Presence of Companion Animals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Bindi Bennett, Suzie Cosh, Jack Thepsourinthone, Amy Lykins

   COVID-19 and the measures used to curb the pandemic (e.g., lockdowns, isolation) have significantly impacted mental health and well-being. This study sought to investigate the role of companion animals in alleviating stress and improving mental health during the pandemic. In this study, 250...

6. Understanding Psychiatric Patients' Experience of Virtual Animal-Assisted Therapy Sessions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Haley Scheck, Linzi Williamson, Colleen A. Dell

   Canine animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can improve the mental health and well-being of incarcerated individuals. An in-person AAT program has been offered at the Regional Psychiatric Center (RPC) in Saskatoon, Canada, since 2014 with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (SJATDP) dog and handler...

7. Interactions Between Sex and Pet Ownership on Attitudes Toward Children

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Aya Dudin, Mayra Linne Almanza-Sepulveda, Katherine T. Cost, Geoffrey B. Hall, Alison S. Fleming, Jonathan Freedman

   Background: Many people are attached to their pets. This attachment shares characteristics with the parental attachment to children. Previous studies have established a sex difference in attitudes about children; women compared to men report more positive attitudes about children. However,...

8. Mothers' Reflections on Cat Ownership for a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder During COVID-19

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Saskia Keville, Sophia De Vita, Amanda K. Ludlow

   Animal- assisted interventions are increasingly used as a complementary therapy in clinical practice to support people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with promising outcomes compared to traditional therapies. Less is understood about the therapeutic benefits of more accessible and...

9. Stakeholders' Perspectives on the Safety of an Adaptive Riding Program for Adults Living with Dementia and Care Partners

   

   Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Alicia A. Oestreich, Beth E. Fields

   The purpose of this qualitative community-based participatory research was to explore the safety perspectives of stakeholders involved in an adaptive horseback riding program designed to enhance the quality of life of adults living with dementia and their care partners. Human–animal...

10. Making the Case: Adding a Social Work Perspective to a Case Study in a Veterinary Practice

    

    Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Paula Gerstenblatt, Diane Rhodes, Dorothea Ivey

    This article describes a case study exploration of a veterinary practice from the perspective of social work. Recognizing the stressful work of veterinary providers, including compassion fatigue and high suicide rates, the current study identified both a need for and the potential role of...

11. Farmyard Animal or Best Friend? Exploring Predictors of Dog vs. Pig Pet Speciesism

    

    Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Sarah Gradidge, Magdalena Zawisza, Annelie J. Harvey, Daragh T. McDermott

    Despite dogs’ and pigs’ shared similarities, previous research indicates people favor dogs over pigs (known as “pet speciesism”). While pet speciesism has been empirically sup-ported, little is known about its predictors. This gap in the literature is problematic as...

12. The Effects of Animal- Assisted Therapy on the Health and Well- Being of Military Veterans: A Systematic Scoping Review and Recommendations for Future Research

    

    Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Brooke Fonseka, Fiona Marshall, Laura J. Edwards

    Veterans of the armed forces may have experienced a range of physical and psychological traumas during their service, which can lead to long-standing problems with health and well-being, sometimes compounded with challenges accessing and engaging with support. Animal-assisted therapies (AAT)...

13. "My Companion Through The Pandemic": The Importance of the Human-Animal Bond During COVID-19

    

    Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Christine Krouzecky, Jan Aden, Anastasiya Bunina, Katharina Hametner, Armin Klaps, Zuzana Kovacovsky, Nora Ruck, Birgit Ursula Stetina

    The COVID- 19 pandemic, due to its global biopsychosocial effects, encourages re-search regarding the promotion of health. Studies in this area concentrate on the human–animal bond as a source of physical and psychological well- being (Shoesmith et al., 2021). In this context, contradictory...

14. An International Survey of Animals in Schools: Exploring What Sorts of Schools Involve What Sorts of Animals, and Educators' Rationales for These Practices

    

    Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Helen Lewis, Russell Grigg, Cathryn Knight

    Over recent decades, the use of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in educational settings has attracted growing international interest both among educators and the research community. However, there has been little comparative analysis of the demographics of participants and the rationale...