Animal-Assisted Interventions in Mental Health: Definitions and Theoretical Foundations (original) (raw)
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Construct Validity of Animal Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and AAA are likely to be moderate and broad at best and that, although improving, the literature has not yet reached an experimentally rigorous enough level to provide a definitive robust conclusion about the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly with regard to the question of whether a live animal is necessary for a therapeutic effect.
Construct Validity of Animal- Assisted Therapy and Activities: How Important Is the Animal in AAT
Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and AAA are likely to be moderate and broad at best and that, although improving, the literature has not yet reached an experimentally rigorous enough level to provide a definitive robust conclusion about the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly with regard to the question of whether a live animal is necessary for a therapeutic effect.
Current challenges to research on animal-assisted interventions
Studies of the effects of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) face a number of theoretical and practical challenges. Proposed theoretical processes for the effects of AAIs include those that address primarily the animal's ability to facilitate human-human social engagement, those that emphasize animals' apparent capacity to trigger social attachments and provide nonhuman social support, those that categorize certain animals as supernormal stimuli, those that advance a biophilia hypothesis that living organisms have an innate ability to attract and hold human attention, and those that promote an integrative biopsychosocial model. Each of these generates potentially testable hypotheses, and the field would benefit from systematic efforts to address their validity. Practical challenges to AAI research include issues of study design and methodology, the heterogeneity of both AAI recipients and the animals participating in these interventions, the welfare of these animals, and the unusual pressure from the public and media to report and publish positive findings. Such challenges need to be carefully considered in designing and implementing future studies in the field.
Animal-Assisted Therapy: Role of Animals as a Therapeutic
Journal of Dairy Science and Technology, 2018
Animal assisted therapy is a role in which animal is getting the healing tool to assist a person. A therapist who takes along a pet may be reckoned as being less threatening, increasing the rapport between patient and therapist. Therapy involving animals was first employed in therapy by doctors. AAT is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that matches specific criteria is an inbuilt component of the discussion procedure. Animals can be incorporated into a variety of programs. People with a different of disorders can benefit from animal-assisted therapy, including: autism spectrum disorders, addiction Keywords: Animal assisted therapy, therapy, interaction, technology, goal Cite this Article Kanti Raje, Sadhana Ojha, Lokesha E, et al. Animal-Assisted Therapy: Role of Animals as a Therapeutic. Research & Reviews: Journal of Dairy Science and Technology . 2018; 7(1): 18–21p.
Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2014
The objectives of this review were to summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Studies were eligible if they were RCTs. Studies included one treatment group in which AAT was applied. We searched the following databases from 1990 up to October 31, 2012: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Ichushi Web, GHL, WPRIM, and PsycINFO. We also searched all Cochrane Database up to October 31, 2012. Eleven RCTs were identified, and seven studies were about ''Mental and behavioral disorders''. Types of animal intervention were dog, cat, dolphin, bird, cow, rabbit, ferret, and guinea pig. The RCTs conducted have been of relatively low quality. We could not perform meta-analysis because of heterogeneity. In a study environment limited to the people who like animals, AAT may be an effective treatment for mental and behavioral disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol/drug addictions, and is based on a holistic approach through interaction with animals in nature. ଝ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Handbook on animal-assisted therapy. Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice
2010
This introductory chapter provides readers not only with a basic foundation to appreciate and understand this unique kinship with all living creatures but also to discover the roots to the overwhelming growing interest in animal-assisted intervention (AAI). The chapter should also help solidify and clarify how the benefits witnessed within this unique bond have prompted numerous professionals to become more curious about the advantages of animal-assisted interventions. It is apparent that dogs have been bred to coexist with their human counterparts and have filled many roles including herding, guarding, hunting, fishing and being our best friend (Clutton-Brock, 1995). Dogs have also been widely used as service animals, supporting the quality of life of people in need. There have been increasing insights into science’s current understanding of dog behavior and cognition. Perhaps one of the strongest insights that she discusses pertains to dogs’ ability to understand our behaviors (Ha...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
As the worldwide popularity of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) increases, the fieldis quickly approaching a paradigm shift, adjusting its image to incorporate more evidence-basedresearch and aligning its purpose for advancing a new future. Contemporary critical issues thatconfront the field today include, but are not limited, to research, animal welfare, practice guidelines,and public policy. This article will provide an overview of the history of AAI and the majormilestones that the field has undergone. The current state of AAI research will be scrutinized, andthe areas that warrant further study will be recommended. Special attention will be given to thecurrent state of animal welfare in AAI, the research that has been done in the area, and practiceguidelines that safeguard animal wellbeing. This article will then discuss how evidence-basedresearch and animal welfare guidelines inform the development of comprehensive professionalstandards and influence changes in public polic...
Journal of Psychological Research
Till the time one has not loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unborn. Animal Assisted Therapy can be used in amalgamation with other forms of therapy. The animal becomes an assimilation of the therapeutic plan with AAT. Many psychological disorders have been shown to react well to Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). The article is a concise literature review on Animal Assisted Therapy of database available from the studies that were integrated and provided a general understanding of the perceived benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy and includes topics that are categorised as an Introduction to Animal Assisted Therapy: how it can help people with disorders, it’s utilisation in therapeutic practice and its relation to our health and well-being. Papers were considered eligible if they satisfied the following pre-determined criteria: (1) Talked about Animal Assisted Therapy in context to well-being of an individual, (2) Talked about implications of Animal Assisted Therapy in contex...