The influence of animals on the development of children

Endenburg, Nienke; Lith, H.A. van

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.11.020

Cited by 111 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(81 reference statements)

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“…Research has consistently found that positive relations with animals can deeply benefit the social, emotional, cognitive and educational growth of children (Arbour, Signal, & Taylor, 2009;Endenburg & van Lith, 2011). In particular, humane education programmes (HEPs) have been shown to have multiple benefits across different groups of children and young people.…”

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confidence: 99%

Young people empathising with other animals: reflections on an Australian RSPCA Humane Education Program

Fraser

Taylor

Signal

2017

ANZSWJ

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INTRODUCTION:Empathy is associated with engagement, compassion, social support and emotional sensitivity, and it is a hallmark of good social work practice. Empathy rightfully receives much attention in social work practice, however, interspecies empathy has yet to be included. This article has been written to address this gap. METHODS:Two main research questions guide our conceptual discussion of young people, interspecies empathy and social work: (1) Why is empathy important to social work with young people?; (2) What can an Australian RSPCA Humane Education Programme (HEP) teach social workers about the benefits of interspecies empathy for young people? After our literature review, we examine our illustrative example, which is an HEP offered mostly to newly arrived refugee and migrant young people living in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, whose prior experiences of and/or attitudes towards animals may not have been positive. FINDINGS:Social workers are wise to prioritise empathy because extensive research has shown that, across a diverse range of fields, modes of practice in and beyond social work, empathic practitioners are more effective, achieving better outcomes with their clients. From the letters the young people sent to the RSPCA Victoria after completing an HEP, we note their self-reported increases in empathy for animals, including those they had previously feared or shunned. CONCLUSION:There are many potential benefits of recognising, fostering and valuing interspecies empathy through humane education programmes. However, for these to be ethical, care and empathy must be shown towards the wellbeing of the animals involved, not just the human participants.

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confidence: 99%

Young people empathising with other animals: reflections on an Australian RSPCA Humane Education Program

Fraser

Taylor

Signal

2017

ANZSWJ

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“…Petting or grooming the horse seems to create an emotional bond, and this does not require an ownership relationship between man and horse, as has been shown in earlier studies (Bachi, Terkel, & Teichman, 2012;Endenburg & van Lith, 2011). However, it might be relevant that the client had the same horse throughout the treatment process, as even Hauge et al, (2013) highlight in their study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Mentalizing and Emotional Labor Facilitate Equine-Assisted Social Work with Self-harming Adolescents

Carlsson

Ranta

Træen

2015

Child Adolesc Soc Work J

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This article explores equine-assisted social work (EASW). Horses' capacities to mirror human emotions create possibilities for authentic relationships between clients and staff. This study examines what eases or counteracts the horse's capacity to facilitate relationships perceived by humans to be authentic. Video recordings of the human-horse interactions of three staff members and four female self-harming clients aged 15-21 years in a residential treatment facility were analyzed. The findings show that if the staff gave instructions and advice similar to traditional equestrian sports in combination with viewing the horse as an object, EASW is not facilitated. EASW seems to be facilitated when the horse is perceived as a subject by both staff and clients, provided that the staff gave meaning to the horse's behavior. The staff needed to highlight empathy for the horse when the horse is not able to fulfill its task without adding depth to the client's performance, to avoid raising defense mechanisms. The essence of EASW were perceived as eased by staff members when they focus on the client's emotions and help the client understand that the horse is acting in response to the client's and the staff´s behavior through mentalizing and enacting emotional labor in regarding the horse as a subject. The results indicate the need for higher demands on staff members in order to facilitate EASW.Depending on whether the staff and the clients focus on performance or on emotions, different positive or negative outcomes on communication, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-image will be likely to emerge.Keywords: adolescents, emotional labor, equine-assisted social work, mentalizing, self-injury MENTALIZING AND EMOTIONAL LABOR FACILITATES EASW 3Mentalizing and emotional labor facilitate equine-assisted social work with self-harming adolescents Equine Assisted Social Work (EASW) may contribute positively to the treatment of adolescents with psychiatric disorders, or those who are at risk for developing such disorders.It may be of value to develop social skills, feelings of mastery, meta-cognition and reflectivity abilities, self-confidence and self-esteem in these individuals (Bizub, Joy, & Davidson, 2003;Dell, Chalmers, Bresette, Swain, Rankin, & Hopkins, 2011;Dell, Chalmers, Dell, Sauve, & MacKinnon, 2008;Hauge, Kvalem, Pedersen, & Braastad, 2013;Holmes, Goodwin, Redhead, & Goymour, 2011;Klontz, Bivens, Leinart, & Klontz, 2007; Macauley & Guitierrez, 2004;Rothe, Vega, Torres Campos Soler, & Molina Pazos, 2005;Rothe, 2005;Smith-Osborne & Selby, 2010), as well as to contribute to the development of communication skills, emotional awareness and regulation, reduce anxiety, and provide opportunities for experiencing authentic relationships (Bizub, et al., 2003;Carlsson, Nilsson-Ranta, & Traeen, 2014;Karol, 2007). Even though not all studies point in the same positive direction (Ewing, MacDonald, Taylor, & Bowers, 2007;Greenwald, 2001), there is reason to explore how EASW may be used in the treatment of different patient ...

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“…In the hospital setting, there are several studies that have examined the benefits of AAT in children, particularly in the pediatric population [8][9][10]. The reported results suggest that, after individual sessions of AAT, the patient displayed a short-term capacity to reduce the stress response and an improvement in mood [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of the Acceptance and Perceived Efficacy of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for Parents and Nurses in the Psychiatry Unit of Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence - Italy

MC¹,

Bigalli²

2016

J Community Med Health Educ

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Objectives: This short paper is part of wider research aimed at comparing the effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) with a standard treatment protocol in 20 children and adolescents admitted to psychiatry hospitals for severe mental breakdown (with RCT). After analysing the global results we concluded that the benefits could not only be described in terms of direct effectiveness and care outcomes, but there were also other factors that we should consider, in particular in relation to the context of care. The focus was to analyze those factors, because the results of this treatment were quite distinctive and specific to AAT. The main purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which parents and nurses accept the effects of AAT and perceive its efficacy.Method: For this purpose, at the end of the AAT treatment, we gave a specially formulated questionnaire to both parents and nurses.Results: Data analyses showed that nurses evaluate AAT to be very efficient in improving both the adolescent's quality of stay in hospital and also their compliance with the care provided. Parents expressed a strong acceptance of AAT and evaluated this treatment as an efficient way to both improve the way in which their children express emotions and also facilitate their social skills. Conclusion:The study confirms, in a wider context, the results of our previous studies, not only on the clinical efficacy of AAT, but also on the perceived efficacy for parents and hospital staff and in the general context of care. This underlines the importance to further analyze the factors related to the environment and document the indirect benefits related to a more positive care environment.

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The influence of animals on the development of children

Cited by 111 publications

References 69 publications

Young people empathising with other animals: reflections on an Australian RSPCA Humane Education Program

Young people empathising with other animals: reflections on an Australian RSPCA Humane Education Program

Mentalizing and Emotional Labor Facilitate Equine-Assisted Social Work with Self-harming Adolescents

Study of the Acceptance and Perceived Efficacy of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for Parents and Nurses in the Psychiatry Unit of Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence - Italy

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