Betty Rohr | University of Saskatchewan (original) (raw)
Papers by Betty Rohr
PLOS ONE, 2022
Context Pain is a primary reason individuals attend an Emergency Department (ED), and its managem... more Context Pain is a primary reason individuals attend an Emergency Department (ED), and its management is a concern. Objectives Change in symptoms and physiologic variables at 3 time points pre-post a ten-minute St. John Ambulance therapy dog team visit compared to no visit in ED patients who experienced pain. Design, setting and participants Using a controlled clinical trial design, pain, anxiety, depression and well-being were measured with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scales before, immediately after, and 20 minutes post- therapy dog team visit with Royal University Hospital ED patients participating in the study (n = 97). Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at the time points. Control data was gathered twice (30 minutes apart) for comparison (n = 101). There were no group differences in age, gender or ethnicity among the control and intervention groups (respectively mean age 59.5/57.2, ethnicity 77.2% Caucasian/87.6%, fe...
Patient Experience Journal, 2019
The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments... more The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments (ED) due to increasing wait times and associated adverse outcomes. A developing body of literature indicates that therapy dogs can positively impact the patient experience. In 2016, members of our team partnered with the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatchewan to become the first ED in Canada to integrate a visiting therapy dog to positively impact the patient wait experience. The aim of this preliminary case study was to examine if and how this unique initiative impacted patients’ feelings during their ED wait. A brief questionnaire was completed with one-hundred and twenty-four patients pre and post-therapy dog visit and a research observer documented the encounters. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that visiting with a therapy dog in the ED appeared to improve patients’ feelings. Specifically, patients’ perceived comfort levels increased and their di...
To date there have been no studies examining whether patients want emergency department (ED) ther... more To date there have been no studies examining whether patients want emergency department (ED) therapy dog programs. This patient-oriented study examined the opinions of patients about whether they would want to be visited by a therapy dog in the Royal University Hospital ED. Cross-sectional survey data were collected over a six week period from a convenience sample of 100 adult patients who had not been visited by a therapy dog in the ED. Most (80%) indicated they would want a visit by a therapy dog as an ED patient. A higher proportion of individuals who currently have a pet dog (95%) or identify as having lots of experience with dogs (71%) were more likely to indicate this want compared to those without a dog (90%) or little to no experience with dogs (62%). The majority were also of the opinion that patients may want to visit a therapy dog in the ED to reduce anxiety (92%) and frustration (87%) as well as to increase comfort (90%) and satisfaction (90%) and to a lesser extent to r...
Student mental health is a concern on university campuses, and animal-assisted interventions are ... more Student mental health is a concern on university campuses, and animal-assisted interventions are one response. This article presents the immediate and three-month follow-up outcomes of a pilot evaluation study of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program at three Canadian universities. Analyzing a sample of 403 students and 16 handlers/observers at the events and 87 students at follow-up, we found that the therapy dogs offer love and support. Love is understood as having reciprocal love for the dogs and gaining positive feelings from visiting with them. Support is understood as destressing and relaxing by interacting with the dogs. Implications for mental health supports for university students are suggested.
The purpose was to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Saskatchewan PISA 2009 readi... more The purpose was to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Saskatchewan PISA 2009 reading performance and organizational learning (OL) conditions as perceived by students and principals when selected student and school characteristics were taken into consideration. Gender, Aboriginal status, and socioeconomic status were the student characteristics that were considered. School size, urban versus rural school community, proportion of students self-identified as Aboriginal, and school average socioeconomic status were school characteristics taken into consideration. A nationally represented sample of 978 schools and 23,207 15-year-old students across the ten Canadian provinces participated in the PISA 2009. Within this sample, 1,997 students and 99 schools were from Saskatchewan. Principal components analyses were conducted to produce components for the calculation of two composite (OL) indices: a Student OL Index based on the Canada and OECD PISA student questionnaires and ...
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master's of Education ... more In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master's of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education or the Dean of the College of Education in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis.
International Journal of Prisoner Health
Purpose Prison-based animal programs are becoming increasingly common in North America. The major... more Purpose Prison-based animal programs are becoming increasingly common in North America. The majority focus on community and animal well-being, with less explicit therapeutic goals for human participants. The purpose of this paper is to measure the objectives of a canine animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program in a Canadian psychiatric prison and examine whether the program supports inmates’ correctional plans. Design/methodology/approach A modified instrumental case study design was applied with three inmates over a 24-AAT-session program. Quantitative and qualitative AAT session data were collected and mid- and end-of-program interviews were held with the inmates, their mental health clinicians and the therapy dog handlers. Findings Inmates connected with the therapy dogs through the animals’ perceived offering of love and support. This development of a human–animal bond supported inmates’ correctional plans, which are largely situated within a cognitive-behavioral skill development ...
Theoretical developments of emotional intelligence (EI) are jeopardized by the inability of empir... more Theoretical developments of emotional intelligence (EI) are jeopardized by the inability of empirical studies to keep pace with its intense surge to the forefront of both lay and academic communities. Due to the paucity of empirical evidence, claims of the contributions of EI are met with speculation in the scientific community. Furthermore, EI is conceptualized and measured in a variety and often, diverging ways. Subsequent to indications from previous literature that EI shows promise to be linked to the field of health and psychological well-being (Austin, Saklofske, & Egan, 2005), the primary aim of this study was to investigate the concurrent criterion validity of a mixed model conceptualization of EI with self-reported exercise attitudes by comparing two subsamples of university students, (Mean Age = 22 years; 72% Female, 28% Male; NonKinesiology n 1 = 271, Kinesiology n 2 = 127).
Community Mental Health Journal, Jan 1, 2010
An outcome evaluation was conducted to obtain psychiatric inpatients’ perspectives on acute care ... more An outcome evaluation was conducted to obtain psychiatric inpatients’ perspectives on acute care mental health treatment and services. The applicability of diagnostic categories based on affective, non-affective, and schizoaffective disorder were considered in the predictability of responses to treatment regimens and the related services provided in an inpatient psychiatric unit. A multidimensional approach was used to survey patients, which included the DAI-30, the BMQ, the SERVQUAL, and the CSQ-8. Overall, findings indicate that inpatient satisfaction could be improved with tailoring treatment to suit their respective symptoms. Furthermore, this exploratory study demonstrates some preliminary support for the inclusion of patients with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as a separate group toward improving acute mental health care while hospitalized.
PLOS ONE, 2022
Context Pain is a primary reason individuals attend an Emergency Department (ED), and its managem... more Context Pain is a primary reason individuals attend an Emergency Department (ED), and its management is a concern. Objectives Change in symptoms and physiologic variables at 3 time points pre-post a ten-minute St. John Ambulance therapy dog team visit compared to no visit in ED patients who experienced pain. Design, setting and participants Using a controlled clinical trial design, pain, anxiety, depression and well-being were measured with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scales before, immediately after, and 20 minutes post- therapy dog team visit with Royal University Hospital ED patients participating in the study (n = 97). Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at the time points. Control data was gathered twice (30 minutes apart) for comparison (n = 101). There were no group differences in age, gender or ethnicity among the control and intervention groups (respectively mean age 59.5/57.2, ethnicity 77.2% Caucasian/87.6%, fe...
Patient Experience Journal, 2019
The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments... more The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments (ED) due to increasing wait times and associated adverse outcomes. A developing body of literature indicates that therapy dogs can positively impact the patient experience. In 2016, members of our team partnered with the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatchewan to become the first ED in Canada to integrate a visiting therapy dog to positively impact the patient wait experience. The aim of this preliminary case study was to examine if and how this unique initiative impacted patients’ feelings during their ED wait. A brief questionnaire was completed with one-hundred and twenty-four patients pre and post-therapy dog visit and a research observer documented the encounters. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that visiting with a therapy dog in the ED appeared to improve patients’ feelings. Specifically, patients’ perceived comfort levels increased and their di...
To date there have been no studies examining whether patients want emergency department (ED) ther... more To date there have been no studies examining whether patients want emergency department (ED) therapy dog programs. This patient-oriented study examined the opinions of patients about whether they would want to be visited by a therapy dog in the Royal University Hospital ED. Cross-sectional survey data were collected over a six week period from a convenience sample of 100 adult patients who had not been visited by a therapy dog in the ED. Most (80%) indicated they would want a visit by a therapy dog as an ED patient. A higher proportion of individuals who currently have a pet dog (95%) or identify as having lots of experience with dogs (71%) were more likely to indicate this want compared to those without a dog (90%) or little to no experience with dogs (62%). The majority were also of the opinion that patients may want to visit a therapy dog in the ED to reduce anxiety (92%) and frustration (87%) as well as to increase comfort (90%) and satisfaction (90%) and to a lesser extent to r...
Student mental health is a concern on university campuses, and animal-assisted interventions are ... more Student mental health is a concern on university campuses, and animal-assisted interventions are one response. This article presents the immediate and three-month follow-up outcomes of a pilot evaluation study of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program at three Canadian universities. Analyzing a sample of 403 students and 16 handlers/observers at the events and 87 students at follow-up, we found that the therapy dogs offer love and support. Love is understood as having reciprocal love for the dogs and gaining positive feelings from visiting with them. Support is understood as destressing and relaxing by interacting with the dogs. Implications for mental health supports for university students are suggested.
The purpose was to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Saskatchewan PISA 2009 readi... more The purpose was to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Saskatchewan PISA 2009 reading performance and organizational learning (OL) conditions as perceived by students and principals when selected student and school characteristics were taken into consideration. Gender, Aboriginal status, and socioeconomic status were the student characteristics that were considered. School size, urban versus rural school community, proportion of students self-identified as Aboriginal, and school average socioeconomic status were school characteristics taken into consideration. A nationally represented sample of 978 schools and 23,207 15-year-old students across the ten Canadian provinces participated in the PISA 2009. Within this sample, 1,997 students and 99 schools were from Saskatchewan. Principal components analyses were conducted to produce components for the calculation of two composite (OL) indices: a Student OL Index based on the Canada and OECD PISA student questionnaires and ...
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master's of Education ... more In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master's of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education or the Dean of the College of Education in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis.
International Journal of Prisoner Health
Purpose Prison-based animal programs are becoming increasingly common in North America. The major... more Purpose Prison-based animal programs are becoming increasingly common in North America. The majority focus on community and animal well-being, with less explicit therapeutic goals for human participants. The purpose of this paper is to measure the objectives of a canine animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program in a Canadian psychiatric prison and examine whether the program supports inmates’ correctional plans. Design/methodology/approach A modified instrumental case study design was applied with three inmates over a 24-AAT-session program. Quantitative and qualitative AAT session data were collected and mid- and end-of-program interviews were held with the inmates, their mental health clinicians and the therapy dog handlers. Findings Inmates connected with the therapy dogs through the animals’ perceived offering of love and support. This development of a human–animal bond supported inmates’ correctional plans, which are largely situated within a cognitive-behavioral skill development ...
Theoretical developments of emotional intelligence (EI) are jeopardized by the inability of empir... more Theoretical developments of emotional intelligence (EI) are jeopardized by the inability of empirical studies to keep pace with its intense surge to the forefront of both lay and academic communities. Due to the paucity of empirical evidence, claims of the contributions of EI are met with speculation in the scientific community. Furthermore, EI is conceptualized and measured in a variety and often, diverging ways. Subsequent to indications from previous literature that EI shows promise to be linked to the field of health and psychological well-being (Austin, Saklofske, & Egan, 2005), the primary aim of this study was to investigate the concurrent criterion validity of a mixed model conceptualization of EI with self-reported exercise attitudes by comparing two subsamples of university students, (Mean Age = 22 years; 72% Female, 28% Male; NonKinesiology n 1 = 271, Kinesiology n 2 = 127).
Community Mental Health Journal, Jan 1, 2010
An outcome evaluation was conducted to obtain psychiatric inpatients’ perspectives on acute care ... more An outcome evaluation was conducted to obtain psychiatric inpatients’ perspectives on acute care mental health treatment and services. The applicability of diagnostic categories based on affective, non-affective, and schizoaffective disorder were considered in the predictability of responses to treatment regimens and the related services provided in an inpatient psychiatric unit. A multidimensional approach was used to survey patients, which included the DAI-30, the BMQ, the SERVQUAL, and the CSQ-8. Overall, findings indicate that inpatient satisfaction could be improved with tailoring treatment to suit their respective symptoms. Furthermore, this exploratory study demonstrates some preliminary support for the inclusion of patients with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as a separate group toward improving acute mental health care while hospitalized.