Effects of Dog-Based Animal-Assisted Interventions in Prison Population: A Systematic Review

Villafaina-Domínguez, Beatriz; Collado-Mateo, Daniel; Merellano-Navarro, Eugenio; Villafaina, Santos

doi:10.3390/ani10112129

Cited by 25 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(168 reference statements)

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“…The results are also in line with other studies focused on the advantages of AAT when there are important situations of constraint [32] that, in a certain sense, are similar to lockdown. The study by Villafaina-Domínguez [32] reviewed the ATT, applied in concrete dog-assisted intervention introduced in prisons to reduce recidivism as well as to improve the wellbeing of prisoners. The study concluded that dog-based animal-assisted therapy may improve anxiety, stress, recidivism, and other social variables in male or female inmates.…”

Section: The Psychological Impact Of the Pet Presence In Stressful Si...supporting

confidence: 91%

A Remote Assessment of Anxiety on Young People: Towards Their Views and Their Different Pet Interaction

et al. 2022

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The lockdown was imposed in Italy on 9 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Restrictions severely limiting individual freedom were indispensable to protect the population and reduce virus diffusion. Italian people had never before experienced similar restrictions that undoubtedly tested psychological health. After 1 week, we developed an electronic survey to collect demographic data and information on the presence of pets and the type of interaction with them and to administer a self-assessment anxiety test. A total of 3905 subjects, pet owners and non pet owners, filled in the electronic survey; 652 (16.7%, mean age 21.6) of them were young subjects, adolescents, and university students. The study first showed the feasibility and success of the technological solution used, capable of providing, at a distance, structured information on the participants and quantitative data on the psychological condition. Second, it reported that 23.1% of the youths showed anxiety above an attention level during the lockdown, in line with other studies. Third, it indicated, based on the outcome of the self-assessment test, that the pet presence could have a positive effect in mitigating the psychological impact and encourage to continue and deepen these investigations. Fourth, it reported positive feedback from the participants on the procedure, found useful during the pandemic and for the post-pandemic future. The study highlights the importance of investing in these solutions based on mobile technology and useful both for mental health and to deepen the investigation of the impact of the pet presence on the human psychology.

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Section: The Psychological Impact Of the Pet Presence In Stressful Si...supporting

confidence: 91%

A Remote Assessment of Anxiety on Young People: Towards Their Views and Their Different Pet Interaction

et al. 2022

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“…Information on the population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and study design (PICOS) was retrieved from the articles, and the risk of bias of selected studies was assessed using a modification of the Evidence Project risk-of-bias tool [ 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity Time Budgets—A Potential Tool to Monitor Equine Welfare?

Auer

Kelemen

Engl

et al. 2021

Animals

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Horses’ behavior can provide valuable insight into their subjective state and is thus a good indicator of welfare. However, its complexity requires objective, quantifiable, and unambiguous evidence-based assessment criteria. As healthy, stress-free horses exhibit a highly repetitive daily routine, temporal quantification of their behavioral activities (time budget analysis) can assist in equine welfare assessment. Therefore, the present systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of equine time budget studies. A review of the literature yielded 12 papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria: assessment of equine time budgets for eating, resting and movement for a minimum of 24 continuous hours. A total of 144 horses (1–27 years old), 59 semi-feral and 85 domesticated horses, are included in this review. The 24 h time budgets for foraging or eating (10–6.6%), resting (8.1–66%), lying (2.7–27.3%), and locomotion (0.015–19.1%) showed large variance between studies, which can largely be attributed to differences in age and environmental conditions. Management interventions in domesticated horses (ad libitum access to food, increased space, decreased population density) resulted in time budgets similar to their (semi-)feral conspecifics, emphasizing the importance of environmental conditions and the ability of time budgets to assist in monitoring horses’ welfare.

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“…Another theoretical mechanism of AAT suggested by Kruger and Serpell [62] is social mediation, which states that the animal may mediate the interaction among patients and between the patient and the therapist. This, along with the known improvements in selfesteem and self-efficacy [18][19][20], may explain the expected effectiveness of the program in adolescents with eating disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Previous studies [15,17] showed a significant relationship between AAT sessions and self-esteem improvements and reduced anxiety levels [18][19][20]. Regarding social skills, Whitely [21] and Duckers [22] have shown that AAT sessions, together with teamwork, could improve social skills and contribute to the development of problem-solving strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Adolescents with Eating Disorders: A Study Protocol for a Pilot Controlled Trial

Lavín-Pérez

Martín-Sánchez

Martínez-Núñez

et al. 2021

Animals

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Background: Eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance that alters food intake and it is often accompanied by anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or reduced functional capacity and quality of life. Animal-assisted therapies (AAT) have shown benefits in these variables in children and adult populations. Thus, the present pilot study will aim to evaluate the effects of a dog-assisted therapy on the eating disorders symptoms, mental, psychosocial, and physical health, quality of life, and handgrip strength of adolescents suffering from eating disorders. Methods: The current pilot study will involve 32 patients, who will be assigned to a control or an experimental group. Intervention will be conducted once a week for seven weeks. Neither the experimental nor the control group will discontinue their usual care. The main outcome measures will be the eating disorder symptoms and the health-related quality of life measured with standardized questionnaires, while the secondary variables will be anxiety, depression, character, behavior, strength, and body mass. Conclusions: This pilot-controlled trial will be the first to evaluate the effects of dog-assisted therapy on the physical and mental health of adolescents with eating disorders. Significant improvements, in the primary and secondary outcomes, may be expected based on the known benefits of AAT on self-esteem, stress, and self-control in different populations. Finally, although the program is focused on the improvement of adolescents’ health, animal welfare will be a priority in this study.

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Effects of Dog-Based Animal-Assisted Interventions in Prison Population: A Systematic Review

Cited by 25 publications

References 54 publications

A Remote Assessment of Anxiety on Young People: Towards Their Views and Their Different Pet Interaction

A Remote Assessment of Anxiety on Young People: Towards Their Views and Their Different Pet Interaction

Activity Time Budgets—A Potential Tool to Monitor Equine Welfare?

Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Adolescents with Eating Disorders: A Study Protocol for a Pilot Controlled Trial

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