FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Appl Dev Sci / Animal-Assisted Therapies for Youth with or at risk for Ment...
Applied developmental science2016; 21(1); 1-13; doi: 10.1080/10888691.2015.1134267

Animal-Assisted Therapies for Youth with or at risk for Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review.

Abstract: To systematically review experimental evidence about animal-assisted therapies (AAT) for children or adolescents with or at risk for mental health conditions, we reviewed all experimental AAT studies published between 2000-2015, and compared studies by animal type, intervention, and outcomes. Methods: Studies were included if used therapeutically for children and adolescents (≤21 years) with or at risk for a mental health problem; used random assignment or a waitlist comparison/control group; and included child-specific outcome data. Of 1,535 studies, 24 met inclusion criteria. Results: Of 24 studies identified, almost half were randomized controlled trials, with 9 of 11 published in the past two years. The largest group addresses equine therapies for autism. Conclusions: Findings are generally promising for positive effects associated with equine therapies for autism and canine therapies for childhood trauma. The AAT research base is slim; a more focused research agenda is outlined.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2016-01-25 PubMed ID: 28798541PubMed Central: PMC5546745DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2015.1134267Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article systematically evaluates the effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Therapies (AAT) as a treatment option for children or adolescents who are suffering from, or are at risk of, mental health conditions. The study compares different AAT practices based on the type of animal involved, the specific interventions used, and the outcomes of the therapy.

Methodology

  • The researchers selected studies that met specific criteria – these are experimental studies that utilized animal therapy as a form of treatment for children and adolescents (aged 21 or below) who are experiencing or are at risk of developing mental health disorders.
  • The chosen studies for review either employed random assignment or had a waitlist comparison/control group, and contained data that directly pertained to children.
  • From a total of 1,535 studies, only 24 met the researchers’ criteria and were included in the final review.

Results and Findings

  • The researchers found that nearly half of the chosen studies were Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), a type of study where participants are randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group.
  • The majority of these RCTs were carried out in the two years leading up to this review.
  • The largest number of studies focused on equine (horse) therapy as a treatment method for children with autism.
  • In total, there were positive results associated with the use of equine therapy for autism and canine therapy for contextual childhood trauma.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • The study concludes that the current research base for AAT is quite thin, suggesting more rigorous and focused research is needed.
  • Though the initial findings are promising particularly for equine therapy in cases of autism and canine therapy for childhood trauma, more comprehensive research is vital to accurately measure the impact and effectiveness of AAT in treating a wider range of mental health issues.

Cite This Article

APA
Hoagwood KE, Acri M, Morrissey M, Peth-Pierce R. (2016). Animal-Assisted Therapies for Youth with or at risk for Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review. Appl Dev Sci, 21(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2015.1134267

Publication

Applied developmental science
ISSN: 1088-8691
NlmUniqueID: 9890994
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-13

Researcher Affiliations

Hoagwood, Kimberly Eaton
  • New York University, Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine. One Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Acri, Mary
  • New York University, Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine. One Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Morrissey, Meghan
  • New York University, Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine. One Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Peth-Pierce, Robin
  • Public Health Communications Consulting, LLC, 900 Mission Hills Lane, Columbus, OH 43235.

Grant Funding

  • P30 MH090322 / NIMH NIH HHS

References

This article includes 49 references
  1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Practice Parameters. 2015.
  2. American Academy of Pediatrics. Evidence-based Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Interventions. 2015.
  3. Amiot CE, Bastian B. Toward a psychology of human-animal relations.. Psychol Bull 2015 Jan;141(1):6-47.
    pubmed: 25365760doi: 10.1037/a0038147google scholar: lookup
  4. Anestis MD, Anestis JC, Zawilinski LL, Hopkins TA, Lilienfeld SO. Equine-related treatments for mental disorders lack empirical support: a systematic review of empirical investigations.. J Clin Psychol 2014 Dec;70(12):1115-32.
    pubmed: 24953870doi: 10.1002/jclp.22113google scholar: lookup
  5. Bachi K, Terkel J, Teichman M. Equine-facilitated psychotherapy for at-risk adolescents: the influence on self-image, self-control and trust.. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 2012 Apr;17(2):298-312.
    pubmed: 21757481doi: 10.1177/1359104511404177google scholar: lookup
  6. Balluerka N, Muela A, Amiano N, Caldentey MA. Influence of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on the attachment representations of youth in residential care. Children and Youth Services Review 2014;42:103–109.
  7. Barker SB, Knisely JS, Schubert CM, Green JD, Ameringer S. The Effect of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on Anxiety and Pain in Hospitalized Children. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals 2015;28(1):101–112.
  8. Bass MM, Duchowny CA, Llabre MM. The effect of therapeutic horseback riding on social functioning in children with autism.. J Autism Dev Disord 2009 Sep;39(9):1261-7.
    pubmed: 19350376doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0734-3google scholar: lookup
  9. Beetz A, Uvnäs-Moberg K, Julius H, Kotrschal K. Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the possible role of oxytocin.. Front Psychol 2012;3:234.
    pmc: PMC3408111pubmed: 22866043doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234google scholar: lookup
  10. Beetz A. Socio-emotional correlates of a schooldog-teacher-team in the classroom.. Front Psychol 2013;4:886.
    pmc: PMC3842092pubmed: 24348440doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00886google scholar: lookup
  11. Boshoff C, Grobler H, Nienaber A. The evaluation of an equine-assisted therapy programme with a group of boys in a youth care facility. Journal of Psychology in Africa 2015;25(1):86–90.
  12. Bruns EJ, Kerns SE, Pullmann MD, Hensley SW, Lutterman T, Hoagwood KE. Research, Data, and Evidence-Based Treatment Use in State Behavioral Health Systems, 2001-2012.. Psychiatr Serv 2016 May 1;67(5):496-503.
    pmc: PMC5107263pubmed: 26695495doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201500014google scholar: lookup
  13. Chorpita BF, Weisz JR, Daleiden EL, Schoenwald SK, Palinkas LA, Miranda J, Higa-McMillan CK, Nakamura BJ, Austin AA, Borntrager CF, Ward A, Wells KC, Gibbons RD. Long-term outcomes for the Child STEPs randomized effectiveness trial: a comparison of modular and standard treatment designs with usual care.. J Consult Clin Psychol 2013 Dec;81(6):999-1009.
    pubmed: 23978169doi: 10.1037/a0034200google scholar: lookup
  14. Conniff KM, Scarlett JM, Goodman S, Appel LD. Effects of a pet visitation program on the behavior and emotional state of adjudicated female adolescents. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals 2005;18(4)(17):379–395.
  15. Cooper JL, Aratani Y, Knitzer J, Douglas-Hall A, Masi R, Banghart P, Dababnah S. Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of State Children's Mental Health Service Systems. 2008.
  16. Dietz TJ, Davis D, Pennings J. Evaluating animal-assisted therapy in group treatment for child sexual abuse.. J Child Sex Abus 2012;21(6):665-83.
    pubmed: 23194140doi: 10.1080/10538712.2012.726700google scholar: lookup
  17. Fung S, Leung AS. Pilot Study Investigating the Role of Therapy Dogs in Facilitating Social Interaction among Children with Autism. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 2014;44(4):253–262.
  18. Gabriels RL, Agnew JA, Holt KD, Shoffner A, Zhaoxing P, Ruzzano S. Pilot study measuring the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on school-age children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 2012;6(2):578–588.
  19. Gabriels RL, Pan Z, Dechant B, Agnew JA, Brim N, Mesibov G. Randomized Controlled Trial of Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015 Jul;54(7):541-9.
    pmc: PMC4475278pubmed: 26088658doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2015.04.007google scholar: lookup
  20. Garcia-Gomez A, Risco LM, Rubio JC, Guerrero E, Garcia-Pena IM. Effects of a Program of Adapted Therapeutic Horse-riding in a Group of Augitsm Spectdrium Disorder Children. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology 2014;12(1):107–128.
  21. Hamama L, Hamama-Raz Y, Dagan K, Greenfeld H, Rubinstein C, Ben-Ezra M. A preliminary study of group intervention along with basic canine training among traumatized teenagers: A 3-month longitudinal study. Children and Youth Services Review 2011;33(10):1975–80.
  22. Havener L, Gentes L, Thaler B, Megel ME, Baun MM, Driscoll FA, Beiraghi S, Agrawal S. The effects of a companion animal on distress in children undergoing dental procedures.. Issues Compr Pediatr Nurs 2001 Apr-Jun;24(2):137-52.
    pubmed: 11817428doi: 10.1080/01460860118472google scholar: lookup
  23. Institute of Medicine. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions. 2006.
  24. International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations. White Paper 2014: The IAHAIO Definitions for Animal Assisted Intervention and Guidelines For Wellness of Animals Involved. 2014.
  25. Jenkins SR, DiGennaro Reed FD. An experimental analysis of the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on the behavior of children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 2013;7:721–740.
  26. Julius H, Beetz A, Kotrschal K, Turner DC, Uvnäs-Moberg K. Attachment to Pets: An Integrative View of Human-Animal Relationships with Implications for Therapeutic Practice. 2013.
  27. Kamioka H, Okada S, Tsutani K, Park H, Okuizumi H, Handa S, Oshio T, Park SJ, Kitayuguchi J, Abe T, Honda T, Mutoh Y. Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.. Complement Ther Med 2014 Apr;22(2):371-90.
    pubmed: 24731910doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.016google scholar: lookup
  28. Kazdin AE. Mediators and mechanisms of change in psychotherapy research.. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2007;3:1-27.
    pubmed: 17716046doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091432google scholar: lookup
  29. Kazdin AE, Blase SL. Rebooting Psychotherapy Research and Practice to Reduce the Burden of Mental Illness.. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011 Jan;6(1):21-37.
    pubmed: 26162113doi: 10.1177/1745691610393527google scholar: lookup
  30. Kern JK, Fletcher CL, Garver CR, Mehta JA, Grannemann BD, Knox KR, Richardson TA, Trivedi MH. Prospective trial of equine-assisted activities in autism spectrum disorder.. Altern Ther Health Med 2011 May-Jun;17(3):14-20.
    pubmed: 22164808
  31. Knitzer J, Olson L. Unclaimed Children: The Failure of Public Responsibility to Children and Adolescents in Need of Mental Health Services. 1982.
  32. Lanning BA, Baier ME, Ivey-Hatz J, Krenek N, Tubbs JD. Effects of equine assisted activities on autism spectrum disorder.. J Autism Dev Disord 2014 Aug;44(8):1897-907.
    pubmed: 24526337doi: 10.1007/s10803-014-2062-5google scholar: lookup
  33. Martin F, Farnum J. Animal-assisted therapy for children with pervasive developmental disorders.. West J Nurs Res 2002 Oct;24(6):657-70.
    pubmed: 12365766doi: 10.1177/019394502320555403google scholar: lookup
  34. McCarthy J, Le LT. Financing Behavioral Health Services and Supports for Children, Youth and Families in the Child Welfare System. 2008.
  35. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Mental disorders and disabilities among low-income children. 2015.
  36. O'Haire ME. Animal-assisted intervention for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic literature review.. J Autism Dev Disord 2013 Jul;43(7):1606-22.
    pubmed: 23124442doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1707-5google scholar: lookup
  37. O'Haire ME, McKenzie SJ, McCune S, Slaughter V. Effects of classroom animal-assisted activities on social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder.. J Altern Complement Med 2014 Mar;20(3):162-8.
    pmc: PMC3948601pubmed: 24156772doi: 10.1089/acm.2013.0165google scholar: lookup
  38. O'Haire ME, McKenzie SJ, Beck AM, Slaughter V. Animals may act as social buffers: Skin conductance arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder in a social context.. Dev Psychobiol 2015 Jul;57(5):584-95.
    pubmed: 25913902doi: 10.1002/dev.21310google scholar: lookup
  39. . Patient Accountability and Affordability Act. 2010.
  40. Pendry P, Carr AM, Smith AN, Roeter SM. Improving adolescent social competence and behavior: a randomized trial of an 11-week equine facilitated learning prevention program.. J Prim Prev 2014 Aug;35(4):281-93.
    pubmed: 24898318doi: 10.1007/s10935-014-0350-7google scholar: lookup
  41. Prothmann A, Biernet M, Ettrich C. Dogs in child psychotherapy: Effects on state of mind. Anthrozoos 2006;19(3):265–277.
  42. Schuck SE, Emmerson NA, Fine AH, Lakes KD. Canine-assisted therapy for children with ADHD: preliminary findings from the positive assertive cooperative kids study.. J Atten Disord 2015 Feb;19(2):125-37.
    pmc: PMC4348044pubmed: 24062278doi: 10.1177/1087054713502080google scholar: lookup
  43. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Transforming Mental Health Care in America. The Federal Action Agenda: First Steps. 2005.
  44. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). 2015.
  45. Trotter K, Chandler C, Goodwin-Bond D, Casey J. A comparative study of the efficacy of group equine assisted counseling with at-risk children and adolescents. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 2008;3(3):254–284.
  46. University of Colorado at Boulder. Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. 2015.
  47. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. 1999.
  48. U.S. Public Health Service. Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health: A National Action Agenda. 2000.
  49. Vagnoli L, Caprilli S, Vernucci C, Zagni S, Mugnai F, Messeri A. Can presence of a dog reduce pain and distress in children during venipuncture?. Pain Manag Nurs 2015 Apr;16(2):89-95.
    pubmed: 25439114doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2014.04.004google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 27 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.