Effectiveness of Animal Assisted Therapy after brain injury: A bridge to improved outcomes in CRT

Stapleton, Mary

doi:10.3233/nre-161345

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Notably, emotional arousal is correlated with learning and memory 27 . Our finding of increased positive emotions, higher motivation and satisfaction during AAT supports the potential of AAT in cognitive rehabilitation therapy and social skills training after brain injury 28 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: a randomised controlled trial

Hediger

Thommen

Wagner

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is increasingly used to address impaired social competence in patients with acquired brain injury. However, the efficacy of AAT has not been tested in these patients. We used a randomised, controlled within subject trial to determine the effects of AAT on social competence in patients undergoing stationary neurorehabilitation. Participants received both AAT sessions and paralleled conventional therapy sessions. The patients’ social behaviour was systematically coded on the basis of video recordings of therapy sessions. Moreover, mood, treatment motivation and satisfaction was measured during each therapy session. We analysed 222 AAT and 219 control sessions of 19 patients with linear mixed models. Patients showed a significantly higher amount of social behaviour during AAT. Furthermore, patients’ positive emotions, verbal and non-verbal communication, mood, treatment motivation and satisfaction were increased in the presence of an animal. Neutral emotions were reduced but no effect was found regarding negative emotions. Our results show that AAT increases aspects of social competence and leads to higher emotional involvement of patients with acquired brain injury, reflected in higher social engagement, motivation and satisfaction during a therapeutic session.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: a randomised controlled trial

Hediger

Thommen

Wagner

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…Research has focused on formalised animal contact in closed settings such as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Multiple reviews have considered AAT in a variety of fields including intellectual disability [ 12 ], autism [ 13 ], general healthcare [ 14 , 15 ] and neuro-rehabilitation [ 16 , 17 ], but there are no systematic syntheses of the role and effects of the less structured animal contact provided by pet ownership in open settings for people with mental health conditions. The provision of ongoing support in normalised everyday settings remains an aspiration of mental health policy but the mapping of the nature of resources available and how they are, and can be, deployed remains underexplored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence

et al. 2018

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BackgroundThere is increasing recognition of the therapeutic function pets can play in relation to mental health. However, there has been no systematic review of the evidence related to the comprehensive role of companion animals and how pets might contribute to the work associated with managing a long-term mental health condition. The aim of this study was to explore the extent, nature and quality of the evidence implicating the role and utility of pet ownership for people living with a mental health condition.MethodsA systematic search for studies exploring the role of companion animals in the management of mental health conditions was undertaken by searching 9 databases and undertaking a scoping review of grey literature from the earliest record until March 2017. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to be published in English and report on primary data related to the relationship between domestic animal ownership and the management of diagnosable mental health conditions. Synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data was undertaken in parallel using a narrative synthesis informed by an illness work theoretical framework.ResultsA total of 17 studies were included in the review. Quantitative evidence relating to the benefits of pet ownership was mixed with included studies demonstrating positive, negative and neutral impacts of pet ownership. Qualitative studies illuminated the intensiveness of connectivity people with companion animals reported, and the multi-faceted ways in which pets contributed to the work associated with managing a mental health condition, particularly in times of crisis. The negative aspects of pet ownership were also highlighted, including the practical and emotional burden of pet ownership and the psychological impact that losing a pet has.ConclusionThis review suggests that pets provide benefits to those with mental health conditions. Further research is required to test the nature and extent of this relationship, incorporating outcomes that cover the range of roles and types of support pets confer in relation to mental health and the means by which these can be incorporated into the mainstay of support for people experiencing a mental health problem.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12888-018-1613-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…It is well known that the brain with depression in dementia has reduced connectivity on amygdala and emotion control regions [50,51]. AAI and PRI provide an emotional effect and a and sense of closeness to dementia patients [52], which may the reduced amygdala connectivity in dementia patients. In addition, AAI and PRI could have a positive effect on hippocampus in the brain with depression through activities that require memory, such as checking the health of animals, walking, and feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strikingly, emotion-related brain areas may be affected by dementia patients' relationship and emotional stability. Indeed, improvements in executive function, social skills, mood regulation, learning, memory, and attention were noted in patients receiving cognitive rehabilitation therapy through various AAI [52]. In addition, in children with ADHD, AAI had a calming effect, increased motivation, improved cognitive function, and promoted socialization [78].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal-Assisted and Pet-Robot Interventions for Ameliorating Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Park

Bak²,

Kim

et al. 2020

Biomedicines

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Patients with dementia suffer from psychological symptoms such as depression, agitation, and aggression. One purpose of dementia intervention is to manage patients’ inappropriate behaviors and psychological symptoms while taking into consideration their quality of life (QOL). Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) and pet-robot intervention (PRI) are effective intervention strategies for older people with cognitive impairment and dementia. In addition, AAI and PRI have been shown to have positive effects on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). However, studies into the association between AAI/PRI and BPSD have elicited inconsistent results. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate this association. We analyzed nine randomized controlled trials on AAI and PRI for dementia patients published between January 2000 and August 2019 and evaluated the impact of AAI/PRI on agitation, depression, and QOL. We found that AAI and PRI significantly reduce depression in patients with dementia. Subsequent studies should investigate the impact of AAI and PRI on the physical ability and cognitive function of dementia patients and conduct a follow-up to investigate their effects on the rate of progression and reduction of symptoms of dementia. Our research will help with neuropsychological and environmental intervention to delay or improve the development and progression of BPSD.

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Effectiveness of Animal Assisted Therapy after brain injury: A bridge to improved outcomes in CRT

Abstract: Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) survivors with cognitive impairments can benefit from AAT as part of a comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation treatment plan.

Cited by 24 publications

References 15 publications

Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: a randomised controlled trial

Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: a randomised controlled trial

The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence

Animal-Assisted and Pet-Robot Interventions for Ameliorating Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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