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A "Pawsitive" Influence of Animals in Long-Term Care Facilities: Animal-Assisted Therapy at St. Peter Regional Treatment Center
Contributor(s): Hannah L. Winkler
The St. Peter Regional Treatment Center (SPRTC) provides secure, residential, multi-disciplinary treatment services, including psychosocial rehabilitation and skill enhancement, to individuals civilly committed as Mental Ill and Dangerous by the State of Minnesota. Since the treatment process is...
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A community-based social networking intervention to increase walking in dog owners
Contributor(s): Deirdra Murphy, Cynthia Ferrara, Jessica Oleski, Emily Panza, Laura Bowen, Brianne Bozella, Kimberly Gada, Clara Savage, Stephanie C. Lemon, Kristin L. Schneider
Roughly 40% of U.S. households own a dog and while dog ownership is associated with greater engagement in physical activity, up to 60% of dog owners do not achieve the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. The present study aims to develop and test a dog walking intervention...
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A Participant Observation Study of the Campus Canines Program at the University of Pittsburgh
Contributor(s): Nicole Camaioni
The Campus Canines Program (CCP) provides the University of Pittsburgh’s community with the opportunity to interact with registered Canine Good Citizen dogs. My objective was to observe and describe the interaction between the dogs and the human participants/volunteers in the CCP at the...
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Animal assisted adapted physical activity for children with Cerebral Palsy
Contributor(s): Nicole Johnson, Amanda Tepfer, Wendy Baltzer, Megan MacDonald
Cerebral Palsy is a muscle movement disorder caused by an insult to the immature developing brain before birth. Children with Cerebral Palsy generally have impaired movement, exaggerated joints, floppiness or rigidity of limbs and torso, abnormal posture, involuntary movement, and unsteady...
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Animal Assisted Therapy for Adult Domestic Violence Survivors
Posters | Contributor(s): Kaden Flynn
The focus for my research project for my Women and Gender Studies, Capstone course has revolved around Domestic Violence and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). AAT has been around since the 18th century but the benefits of it, aren’t talked about enough; when looking at what it does for adult...
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Animal-Assisted Therapy and Oncology Hospice Patients
Posters | Contributor(s): Lauren Anderson
Background: If there are more ways to induce comfort during hospice care, all options should be explored, which is why animal-assisted therapy (AAT) could be a viable, non-pharmacological option for oncology hospice patients. Objectives: The aim of this research is to show that the use of AAT...
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Animal-Assisted Therapy for Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Investigation on the Positive Effects of Attachment and Affiliation Behaviors
Posters | Contributor(s): Sara Miele
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in people who have experienced a traumatic event (nimh.nih.gov, 2016). Because PTSD is a chronic disorder, it is associated with impaired quality of life (Stern et al., 2013). A specific population at high risk for developing PTSD is military...
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Animal-Assisted Therapy in Long-Term Care: A Review of the Literature
Posters | Contributor(s): Jennifer Goodnow, Shannon Tarbox, Erin Zamore, Victoria Zimmerman
Patients residing in long-term care facilities face many changes and challenges. Many seniors have grown up with pets as part of their daily lives, and animals have provided them with companionship as they age. The purpose of this literature review is to assess the state of the science related to...
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Are Companion Animals the Secret to Good Health?
Posters | Contributor(s): Bradley Smith, Petra Bywood
People keep pets for companionship, recreation and protection rather than for the specific purpose of enhancing health. However, a considerable body of literature supports the idea that companion animals can improve overall quality of life, including physical, social and psychological health, yet...
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Canine-Assisted Therapy (CAT): A nurse-initiated program to reduce patients' perception of pain and anxiety at a critical access hospital
Posters | Contributor(s): Victoria McCue, Molly Vlach, Sherry Stathers, Clair Hefner, Theresa Worden, Julie Erickson
Background/Purpose: The use of animals to promote or improve human health and wellbeing has a long history. However, it is yet to be recognized and accepted as either a complementary therapy or integrated into mainstream healthcare. Even though studies have reported the benefits of...
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Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses: Partnerships & Collaborations
Posters | Contributor(s): J. Sargeant, A. Whiteman, M. Pham
The Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ) mandate is to provide focus and leadership for research, education, and knowledge dissemination in public health at the human-animal-environment interface. This poster focuses on the collaborations of OVC members with external...
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Comparative Analysis of Ancient Ritual Sacrifice
Posters | Contributor(s): Alexandra Price
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Costs and Benefits of Human-Animal Interactions in Rural Children
Posters | Contributor(s): Rebecca Garabed
We aim to develop a survey tool and accompanying research methodology that can be used across cultures and species to both quantify and differentiate aspects of human-animal interactions. Those aspects include: opportunities to share pathogens or commensals, health care activities, providing...
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Could the inclusion of dogs and horses in a psychodynamic psychotherapy provide for a more optimal treatment for patients with personality disorders?
Posters | Contributor(s): Geza Kovacs
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Do Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) use Human-provided Cues to Increase Foraging Success in Urban Landscapes?
Posters | Contributor(s): Aditya A. Mehta, Jeeva H. Rathnaweera
The coexistence of humans with other animals in urban and suburban areas has given rise to a spectrum of agonistic and beneficial interactions. Animals thriving in urban settings are known to exhibit superior foraging and food extraction abilities compared to their wild conspecifics. This has...
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Does experience with animals improve toddlers' understanding of others' sound perception?
Posters | Contributor(s): Rachelle Stover
Introduction: Much research has examined what children understand about others’ visual perception. For instance, 2-year-olds can determine when an object is hidden from another’s viewpoint (Flavell, 1992). Less is known about children’s understanding of other’s auditory...
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Dogs: A Prescription for Health Issues?
Posters | Contributor(s): Denise Magallon
The human-‐animal bond has been seen throughout many generations. Pet owners, especially those who own dogs, are known to live a different lifestyle than non-‐pet owners. However, the individuals who can receive the most benefits from dogs are those with certain psychological and...
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Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy Among Children with Mental Health Disorders
Posters | Contributor(s): Alysa Amelio
Background: Mental health illness is on the rise amongst children in the United States. Research is still underway about alternative forms of therapy to provide to this vulnerable population. One of the alternative therapies utilized is Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). Objectives: The...
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Effects of animal-assisted therapy on mental health of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder
Posters | Contributor(s): Alison Thies
This project explores the potential of using animals (particularly dogs) in animal-assisted therapy( AAT) with veterans who suffer from PTSD and reports on research that shows improvement in symptoms such as regulation of emotions, perceived quality of life, social functioning, sleep patterns,...
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Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Behavior in a Domestic Goat Herd
Posters | Contributor(s): Stephanie Peramas
Animal welfare is one of the most important parts of animal management. Apart from other measures of good animal welfare, like being in good health, animal behavior can be indicative of the animal’s internal state and is often one of the first signs of improper welfare. Stereotypies, or...
