The Effects of a Companion Animal on Distress in Children Undergoing Dental Procedures

Abstract

The purpose of our pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a companion animal (dog) on physiologic arousal and behavioral distress among children undergoing a dental procedure. A repeated measures experimental design was used to study 40 children between the ages of 7 and 11 years who were undergoing procedures in a pediatric dental clinic. Half the children had the dog present during the procedure and half did not. Data were obtained before, during, and after the procedure. Behavioral distress was measured using the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress; procedures were videotaped. Physiologic arousal was measured using a YSI telethermometer taped to the child's index finger. Student's t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance were used to answer the research question. No significant differences in behavioral distress or physiologic arousal were found between experimental and control groups. Further analysis revealed that for children who initially verbalized distress on arrival at the clinic, the presence of the dog decreased physiologic arousal during the time the child was on the dental table waiting for the dentist to arrive. Further research should be conducted to verify the effect of a companion animal on initial stress experienced by children for whom the visit to the dentist is most stressful.

A Randomized Cross-over Exploratory Study of the Effect of Visiting Therapy Dogs on College Student Stress Before Final Exams

“…Such events are low cost, require no training or skill development, utilize community volunteers, and can be made available to large numbers of students, representing a cost-effective intervention with potentially wide impact. Studies are needed to determine the efficacy of such events.While evidence is not conclusive ( (Friedmann et al 1980;Friedmann et al 1983;Allen, Shykoff and Izzo 2001;Cole et al 2007;Friedmann et al 2007), psychiatric patients (Barker and Dawson 1998;Barker, Pandurangi and Best 2003;Hoffmann et al 2009), and children in medical settings (Nagengast et al 1997;Hansen et al 1999;Havener et al 2001;Kaminski, Pellino and Wish 2002;Tsai, Friedmann and Thomas 2010). However, few studies have investigated the potential of HAI in relieving exam stress in college students.…”

“…While evidence is not conclusive (Barker and Wolen 2008;Herzog 2011;Marino 2012), a number of research studies have documented reductions in stress indicators associated with human-animal interaction (HAI) after exposure to stressful stimuli in clinical and healthy populations, including adult pet owners (Allen et al 1991;Allen, Shykoff and Izzo 2001;Allen, Blascovich and Mendes 2002;Barker et al 2010), patients with cardiovascular disease (Friedmann et al 1980;Friedmann et al 1983;Allen, Shykoff and Izzo 2001;Cole et al 2007;Friedmann et al 2007), psychiatric patients (Barker and Dawson 1998;Barker, Pandurangi and Best 2003;Hoffmann et al 2009), and children in medical settings (Nagengast et al 1997;Hansen et al 1999;Havener et al 2001;Kaminski, Pellino and Wish 2002;Tsai, Friedmann and Thomas 2010). However, few studies have investigated the potential of HAI in relieving exam stress in college students.…”

The influence of animals on the development of children

“…AAT has been applied to a wide variety of clinical problems, such as autistic spectrum symptoms (Redefer and Goodman, 1989), medical conditions (Havenar et al, 2001), compromised mental functioning (Kanamori et al, 2001), emotional difficulties (Barker and Dawson, 1998), undesirable behaviours (Nagengast et al, 1997), and physical problems (Nathanson et al, 1997). The use of an animal in therapy may be beneficial because animals seem to have a natural tendency to create a bond with people (Olbrich and Otterstedt, 2003).…”

Desenvolvimento e implantação de Terapia Assistida por Animais em hospital universitário

“…-Não se recomendam visitas em unidades de terapia intensiva, no entanto, alguns pacientes crônicos e conscientes, além da equipe de saúde, poderão beneficiar-se da TAA; -Limitar o acesso dos animais nas áreas de preparação de alimentos e medicação, lavanderia, central de esterilização e desinfecção, sala de cirurgia e de isolamento; -As visitas deverão ocorrer junto ao treinador e a um profissional da equipe de saúde. Os aspectos mais importantes que um animal deve apresentar para integrar o PA, segundo critérios do CDC e HIPAC, são: ter comportamento amigável com estranhos e estar habituado com sessões de TAA em ambiente hospitalar (21)(22)(23)(24)(25) . Considerando tais aspectos, executou-se um projeto piloto que utilizando um cão da raça Golden Retriever, de dois anos de idade, chamado Joe.…”