-
Understanding canine-assisted literacy programs: A multiple case study
Contributor(s):: Bruneau, Laura, Timmons, Beverly, Ianson, Shauna, Tucker, Jeff D.
-
Group Changes in Cortisol and Heart Rate Variability of Children with Down Syndrome and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during Dog-Assisted Therapy
| Contributor(s):: Griffioen, R. E., van Boxtel, G. J. M., Verheggen, T., Enders-Slegers, M. J., Van Der Steen, S.
Dog-assisted therapy is hypothesized to lower stress in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with Down syndrome (DS), which may be visible on a physiological level. In this study, we measured heart rate variability (HRV) and salivary cortisol of 20 children with DS or ASD...
-
Risks and benefits of animal-assisted interventions for critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units
| Contributor(s):: Fiore, M., Cortegiani, A., Friolo, G., Frigieri Covani, F., Cardia, L., Ferraro, F., Alampi, D.
BackgroundPets offer significant health benefits, from decreased cardiovascular risks to anxiety and post-traumatic stress improvements. Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are not frequently practiced in the intensive care unit (ICU) for fear of health risk for critical patients because there is...
-
Understanding the Role of Therapy Dogs in Human Health Promotion
| Contributor(s):: McDowall, S., Hazel, S. J., Cobb, M., Hamilton-Bruce, A.
Dogs may provide humans with a range of physical, mental and social benefits. Whilst there is growing scientific evidence of benefits to humans, there has been less focus on the impact to canine health, welfare and ethical considerations for the dogs. The importance of animal welfare is...
-
International Society for Animal Assisted Therapy
The International Society for Animal Assisted Therapy, ISAAT, is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to quality assurance in the practice of animal assisted interventions.ISAAT accredits curricula for continuing education for persons working in the field of animal assisted therapy,...
-
Animals in Animal-Assisted Services: Are They Volunteers or Professionals?
| Contributor(s):: Wijnen, B., Martens, P.
With the increasingly common practice of Animal-Assisted Services (AAS), whether in therapy, coaching, education, or volunteering programs, the concern over animal welfare has also risen. However, no standards have yet been established for good practices to ensure the animal's mental health. This...
-
Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer
| Contributor(s):: Cotoc, C., Notaro, S.
Emerging evidence accumulates regarding the benefits of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in facilitating pediatric cancer treatment and alleviating symptomatology through positive changes in the patients' emotional, mental, and even physical status. A major concern expressed by...
-
The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs
| Contributor(s):: Miller, S. L., Serpell, J. A., Dalton, K. R., Waite, K. B., Morris, D. O., Redding, L. E., Dreschel, N. A., Davis, M. F.
To date, investigations of the welfare of therapy dogs have focused largely on examining physiological and behavioral measures that could indicate if the animal is experiencing stress or distress. However, this approach does not fully address the definition of welfare which is often described as...
-
The Canadian Institute of Animal-Assisted Interventions
The mission of the Canadian Institute of Animal-Assisted Interventions' mission is to educate and inform about Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) and to present its most innovative and original programs in Canada and around the world.
-
Insight Therapies
-
A Social-Emotional Learning Program for Suicide Prevention through Animal-Assisted Intervention
| Contributor(s):: Muela, A., Balluerka, N., Sansinenea, E., Machimbarrena, J. M., García-Ormaza, J., Ibarretxe, N., Eguren, A., Baigorri, P.
The aim of the study was to carry out a pilot implementation and evaluation of the OverCome-AAI program, a pioneering program for the prevention of suicidal behavior through animal-assisted interventions for young people with high risk factors for suicidal behavior. The study sample consisted...
-
Recognizing and Mitigating Canine Stress during Animal Assisted Interventions
| Contributor(s):: Townsend, L., Gee, N. R.
Animal-assisted Interventions (AAI) proliferated rapidly since clinicians and researchers first noted the positive effects animals have on people struggling with physical and mental health concerns. The intersection of AAI with the field of animal welfare evolved from considering animals'...
-
Animal-Assisted Interventions in Intensive Care Delirium: A Literature Review
| Contributor(s):: Malik, J.
-
Can Dog-Assisted Intervention Decrease Anxiety Level and Autonomic Agitation in Patients with Anxiety Disorders?
| Contributor(s):: Wołyńczyk-Gmaj, D., Ziółkowska, A., Rogala, P., Ścigała, D., Bryła, L., Gmaj, B., Wojnar, M.
Few studies have explored the influence of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on patients with mental disorders. We investigated it's impact on anxiety symptoms. We divided 51 patients with anxiety symptoms into two groups-treatment group, that went for a short 15-20 min' walk with a dog,...
-
Animal-Assisted Interventions for the Improvement of Mental Health Outcomes in Higher Education Students: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
| Contributor(s):: Parbery-Clark, C., Lubamba, M., Tanner, L., McColl, E.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), particularly Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal-Assisted Activity (AAA), in improving mental health outcomes for students in higher education. The number of students in...
-
Emotional support animals: A framework for clinical decision-making
| Contributor(s):: Ferrell, Jillian, Crowley, Susan L.
-
Animal-Assisted Interventions with Dogs: A Review of the Current Literature
| Contributor(s):: Doney, Emma
-
When Therapy Dogs Visit College Students, Is It Therapy?
| Contributor(s):: Fleming, Colleen M.
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the psychological experiences of college students interacting with therapy dogs on their campus. The intervention examined is called an Animal Visitation Program (AVP). AVPs are offered on college campuses across the U.S. for...
-
Ethical Guidelines for Working with Animals in Clinical Settings
| Contributor(s):: Eccles, Emily P.
Ethical standards and guidelines for the clinical application of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) are absent from the American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (EPPCC). This study addresses that need. A series of surveys, using the...
-
Nurse Leaders' Perspectives on Animal-Assisted Interventions
| Contributor(s):: Abate, Samantha Vita
Knowledge deficits and unfavorable attitudes are commonly cited barriers that prevent adoption of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs). Nurse leaders’ (NLs’) knowledge of and attitudes toward AAIs have not been well documented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to...
