Animal assisted intervention: A systematic review of benefits and risks

Bert, Fabrizio; Gualano, Maria Rosaria; Camussi, Elisa; Pieve, Giulio; Voglino, Gianluca; Siliquini, Roberta

doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2016.05.005

Cited by 138 publications

(169 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…trained for social interaction with humans, such as dogs or horses) can participate. This therapy promotes the social interaction of individuals with dementia (Bernabei et al, ), reduces stress and pain in hospitalised patients (Bert et al, ) and is beneficial for the social skills of adults with mental health problems such as schizophrenia (Lundqvist, Carlsson, Sjödahl, Theodorsson, & Levin, ; Maujean, Pepping, & Kendall, ). Two meta‐analyses concluded that AAI improves social functioning and emotional well‐being in elderly people and in groups with a chronic health condition, anxiety or depression (Nimer & Lundahl, ; Virués‐Ortega, Pastor‐Barriuso, Castellote, Población, & de Pedro‐Cuesta, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot testing of an early animal‐assisted intervention in Spain

Ávila-Álvarez

Alonso-Bidegain

De-Rosende-Celeiro

et al. 2020

Health Soc Care Community

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Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience moderate to profound challenges in relation to the skills required for social participation. Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is increasingly used within early community care. However, the results of its early application in this population group are not known. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility of an early intervention based on the use of therapy dogs and to examine their impact on communication and social interaction skills. A within-subject quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used. The instruments for measuring results were the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS)and Animal-assisted Therapy Flow Sheet, both based on observation. A total of 19 children with confirmed or probable ASD (with mean age of 46.2 months), cared for in a Spanish therapeutic unit, participated in a median of nine AAI sessions, with a mean duration of 19.9 min per session. The total ACIS score increased significantly between the initial and final assessments of the study, with communication and social interaction skills improving with a large effect size. In the Animal-assisted Therapy Flow Sheet instrument, statistically significant improvements were found in most of the items that evaluate the frequency of child-dog social relationships (look at the dog, touch it, talk to it and get involved in an activity with the animal) and child-therapist relationships (look at the therapist and talk to him/her); the effect sizes ranged from medium to large. In conclusion, the early application of an AAI is feasible and seems to improve communication and social interaction skills, both essential elements for social participation. The results suggest that this intervention may be a beneficial non-pharmacological therapy as a complementary approach within community care for children with ASD in the early years of their life. K E Y W O R D S Animal assisted Therapy, autism spectrum disorder, communication, early intervention, interpersonal relations | 1221 ÁVILA-ÁLVAREZ Et AL. S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. How to cite this article: Ávila-Álvarez A, Alonso-Bidegain M, De-Rosende-Celeiro I, Vizcaíno-Cela M, Larrañeta-Alcalde L, Torres-Tobío G. Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot testing of an early animalassisted intervention in Spain. Health Soc Care Community.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot testing of an early animal‐assisted intervention in Spain

Ávila-Álvarez

Alonso-Bidegain

De-Rosende-Celeiro

et al. 2020

Health Soc Care Community

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“…In turn, the influence of various human personalities on dog's attachment to man can be found in the work by Zilch-Mano et al [16]. The use of dogs in dogotherapy and the increase in the importance of an assisting dog has contributed to the development of research on human-dog interactions to increase mutual benefits and maintain mutual well-being by, e.g., reducing stress, pain, and anxiety [17]. Appropriate selection of personality for a human-dog pair, their individual features, training techniques, and mutual relations between the guide and the animal influence the results of the working team and the final therapeutic success [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Wojtaś

Karpiński

Czyżowski

2020

Animals

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Search and rescue dogs are an important link in the search for missing persons. The aim of the study was to assess exam stress in search and rescue dogs and their handlers. The study included 41 rescue teams taking exams of field and rubble specialties. The level of cortisol, which is the main glucocorticosteroid modulating stress reactions in humans and dogs, was analyzed. The biological material used to assess the hormone concentration was saliva collected in a non-invasive way. In total, 164 test samples were collected: two from the dog and two from the handler before and immediately after the exam. Rescue exams were shown to significantly increase salivary cortisol in both dogs and their handlers. Strong interactions between cortisol levels in human–dog teams were also found with a more pronounced effect in female dog–female handler dyads.

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“…The use of therapy dogs demonstrated positive effects on quality of life in older people with moderate to severe dementia living in residential nursing care facilities (Churchill, Safaoui, McCabe, & Baun, ; Kårefjärd & Nordgren, ; Perkins, Bartlett, Travers, & Rand, ; Tribet, Bouchalat, & Myslinski, ). In contrast, the risks posed by AAT were mainly allergies, animal‐related accidents, and infections including zoonotic diseases (Bert et al, ). Therapy dogs have been used for therapeutic interventions mainly in older people who need nursing care, although they also represent an adjunct for improvement of quality of life in children (Elmaci & Cevizci, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, dogs are the most common companion animal for humans; therefore, dog-assisted therapy is widely used as a model of animal-assisted therapy (AAT). AAT is a supportive, goal-oriented therapeutic intervention, and animal intervention programmes result in various benefits such as reducing stress, pain and anxiety (Bert et al, 2016). The use of therapy dogs demonstrated positive effects on quality of life in older people with moderate to severe dementia living in residential nursing care facilities (Churchill, Safaoui, McCabe, & Baun, 1999;Kårefjärd & Nordgren, 2018;Perkins, Bartlett, Travers, & Rand, 2008;Tribet, Bouchalat, & Myslinski, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of therapy dogs demonstrated positive effects on quality of life in older people with moderate to severe dementia living in residential nursing care facilities (Churchill, Safaoui, McCabe, & Baun, 1999;Kårefjärd & Nordgren, 2018;Perkins, Bartlett, Travers, & Rand, 2008;Tribet, Bouchalat, & Myslinski, 2008). In contrast, the risks posed by AAT were mainly allergies, animal-related accidents, and infections including zoonotic diseases (Bert et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Bergeyella zoohelcum isolated from oral cavities of therapy dogs

Muramatsu

Haraya

Horie

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Bergeyella zoohelcum causes rare but severe human clinical diseases, which mostly arise from animal bites. Notably, Bergeyella infections can also occur in older people after prolonged exposure to dogs or cats without biting. We detected B. zoohelcum in oral cavities of therapy dogs in close contact with older people residing in nursing homes. Twenty‐two bacterial isolates were identified as B. zoohelcum by using matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results showed that MALDI‐TOF MS is an effective tool for rapid identification of rarely isolated, difficult‐to‐identify microorganisms, such as B. zoohelcum, derived from not only human clinical samples but also animal samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection of B. zoohelcum from therapy dogs. We have provided information on dog‐assisted therapy to improve the relationship between humans and animals in ageing societies, particularly for preventive healthcare of older people living in nursing care facilities.

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Animal assisted intervention: A systematic review of benefits and risks

Abstract: Introduction: The therapeutic use of animals has been debated for decades, and its use explored in a

Cited by 138 publications

References 41 publications

Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot testing of an early animal‐assisted intervention in Spain

Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot testing of an early animal‐assisted intervention in Spain

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Bergeyella zoohelcum isolated from oral cavities of therapy dogs

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