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Dog Ownership and Training Reduces Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Increases Self-Compassion Among Veterans: Results of a Longitudinal Control Study
Contributor(s):: Bergen-Cico, D., Smith, Y., Wolford, K., Gooley, C., Hannon, K., Woodruff, R., Spicer, M., Gump, B.
Objectives: The aims of this study were to measure the potential impact of a therapeutic dog ownership and training program for Veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Design: The study used a quasi-experimental design with two cohorts of Veterans-a dog owner-trainer intervention and a...
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Investigation of Physiological and Behavioral Responses in Dogs Participating in Animal-Assisted Therapy with Children Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Contributor(s):: Melco, Ashley L., Goldman, Larry, Fine, Aubrey H., Peralta, Jose M.
This study evaluated the impact that participation in sessions with children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has on therapy dogs. Nine certified therapy dogs were paired for 6 sessions with groups of 3–4 children. Sessions consisted of 5 different activities. Activities 1 and...
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Does Anthropomorphism of Dogs Affect Pain Perception in Animal-Assisted Interventions? An Exploratory Study
Contributor(s):: Turner-Collins, Clare, Breitenbecher, Kimberly H.
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the effects of anthropomorphism of a therapy dog on pain perception during an animal-assisted intervention. Participants were 32 college women who were randomly assigned to the anthropomorphism condition or the control condition. All...
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Dogs as an Adjunct to Therapy: Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Rehabilitation Following Spinal Cord Injury
Contributor(s):: Thompkins, Andie M., Adkins, Sarah J., Leopard, Maggie, Spencer, Cameron, Bentley, David, Bolden, Lauren, Jagielski, Christina H., Richardson, Elizabeth, Goodman, Adam M., Schwebel, David C.
Approximately 17,000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) are reported annually in the United States. Rehabilitation from SCI involves substantial mental, emotional, and physical challenges. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we assessed the efficacy of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as...
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Low-Ability Secondary School Students Show Emotional, Motivational, and Performance Benefits when Reading to a Dog Versus a Teacher
Contributor(s):: Barber, Olivia, Proops, Leanne
Some research shows that reading to a dog can positively impact both reading attainment and attitude to reading in school children; however, most research to date has focused on primary school-aged children (4–11 years). In this study we used a series of comparisons to assess the immediate...
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Canine-assisted Speech Therapy for Children with Communication Impairments: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Contributor(s):: Machová, Kristýna, Kejdanová, Petra, Bajtlerová, Iva, Procházková, Radka, Svobodová, Ivona, Mezian, Kamal
Developmental dysphasia (DD) is a disorder resulting in a communication impairment. Children diagnosed with this condition are usually referred to a speech therapist. Further to conventional speech therapy it is possible to adopt a complementary animal-assisted approach. For the present study, we...
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Animal-assisted Psychotherapy and Trauma: A Meta-analysis
Contributor(s):: Germain, Sarah M., Wilkie, Karlene D., Milbourne, Virginia M. K., Theule, Jennifer
The present meta-analysis examined the efficacy of animal-assisted psychotherapy for individuals who have experienced trauma. Eight studies quantitatively assessed the treatment effects of involvement in animal-assisted psychotherapy. A random effects model was used to aggregate each study into...
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The Effects of Group-Administered Canine Therapy on University Students’ Wellbeing: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Contributor(s):: Binfet, John-Tyler
University students with elevated stress levels are at risk for experiencing compromised mental health and for underperforming academically. In an effort to support student wellbeing, post-secondary campuses are increasingly offering canine therapy programs. These programs provide students...
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A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Psychosocial Outcomes
Contributor(s):: Maujean, Annick, Pepping, Christopher A., Kendall, Elizabeth
The use of animal-assisted interventions (aaIs) to achieve psychological benefits has expanded rapidly over the last few years. However, this is a vastly under-researched area, and the research to date has been largely descriptive, in the form of case studies, or has used only small groups of...
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The Psychological and Physiological Effects of Using a Therapy Dog in Mindfulness Training
Contributor(s):: Henry, Courtney L., Crowley, Susan L.
The present study was a randomized controlled trial examining the psychological and physiological effects of adding animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to a modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR) for clients experiencing psychological distress. It was hypothesized that AAT would...
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Companion Animals and Loneliness: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies
Contributor(s):: Gilbey, Andrew, Tani, Kawtar
The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate quantitative studies of companion animals and human loneliness. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, Psychlnfo) were searched for articles on companion animals (including animal-assisted therapies...
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Companion-Animals’ Effectiveness in Managing Chronic Pain in Adult Community Members
Contributor(s):: Bradley, Lahna, Bennett, Pauleen C.
Therapy animals have been found to alleviate pain in healthcare settings, but companion-animal owners report greater discomfort and use more analgesics than people who do not own one or more companion animals. To investigate this anomaly, 173 adults completed an online survey that included...
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The Effect of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on Anxiety and Pain in Hospitalized Children
Contributor(s):: Barker, Sandra B., Knisely, Janet S., Schubert, Christine M., Green, Jeffrey D., Ameringer, Suzanne
Forty children between the ages of 8 and 18 years, who were admitted to a hospital pediatric unit, were randomly assigned to an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) or an active control condition (working on an age-appropriate jigsaw puzzle). Ratings of pain and anxiety were taken both pre- and...
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Angeles en Cuatro Patas (Angels on Four Legs)
We are a rehabilitation center and nonprofit dedicated to children and adolescents with special physical and mental needs.Angels on four legs began its activity over twenty-three years ago as an idea of social work aimed at children with mild and chronic disabilities. This institution...
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The psychological and behavioural effects of an animal-assisted therapy programme in Korean older adults with dementia
Contributor(s):: Baek, S. M., Lee, Y., Sohng, K. Y.
AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological and behavioural effects of animal-assisted therapy on cognitive function, emotional state, problematic behaviours, and activities of daily living among older adults with dementia. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pretest...
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A Proposal for a Comprehensive Human-Animal Approach of Evaluation for Animal-Assisted Interventions
Contributor(s):: Lerner, H.
Background: An important field of human-animal interactions is animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), which refers to research on human-animal interactions in order to promote or facilitate health or education in humans. Very few studies among the rich literature on AAIs seem to include aspects of...
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Methodological and Terminological Issues in Animal-Assisted Interventions: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews
Contributor(s):: Santaniello, A., Dice, F., Claudia Carratu, R., Amato, A., Fioretti, A., Menna, L. F.
Recently, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), which are defined as psychological, educational, and rehabilitation support activities, have become widespread in different contexts. For many years, they have been a subject of interest in the international scientific community and are at the...
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Effectiveness of the dog therapy for patients with dementia - a systematic review
Contributor(s):: Klimova, B., Toman, J., Kuca, K.
BACKGROUND: Dementia represents a mental and economic burden for both patients and their caregivers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of animal assisted therapy (AAT) with special focus on canis therapy among people with dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease....
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Companion Dog Foster Caregiver Program for Older Veterans at the VA Maryland Health Care System: A Feasibility Study
Contributor(s):: Ortmeyer, H. K., Robey, L. C.
Veterans experience mental health conditions at a disproportionate rate compared to their civilian counterparts, and approximately 60% of older veterans who receive their care through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. We...
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Canine-assisted occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum: Parents' perspectives
Contributor(s):: Hill, J. R., Ziviani, J., Driscoll, C.
INTRODUCTION: Canine-assisted therapy is thought to facilitate the engagement of children on the autism spectrum within therapy sessions. There is limited research, however, about how canine-assisted occupational therapy with children on the autism spectrum enhances their engagement in therapy...
