Lack of effects of the presence of a dog on pain perception in healthy participants - a randomized controlled trial

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of pain. Studies suggest that relationships with animals can have comparable qualities to relationships with humans and that this enables animals to provide social support. Further, the presence of an animal can strengthen the therapeutic alliance between patients and treatment providers. This suggests that the analgesic effects of AAI might be mediated by social support from an animal or by strengthening the alliance between the patient and the treatment provider. To test these assumptions, we examined the effects of the presence of a dog on experimentally induced pain in a pain assessment and a pain therapy context. Hundred thirty-two healthy participants were randomly assigned to the conditions "pain," "pain + dog," "pain + placebo," or "pain + placebo + dog." We collected baseline and posttreatment measurements of heat-pain tolerance and the heat-pain threshold and of the corresponding subjective ratings of heat-pain intensity and unpleasantness as well as of participants' perceptions of the study investigator. The primary outcome was heat-pain tolerance. The presence of the dog did not influence the primary outcome ("pain" vs. "pain + dog": difference = 0.04, CI = -0.66 to 0.74, p = 0.905; "pain + placebo" vs. "pain + placebo + dog": difference = 0.43, CI = -0.02 to 0.88, p = 0.059). Participants did also not perceive the study investigator to be more trustworthy in the presence of the dog ("pain" vs. "pain + dog": difference = 0.10, CI = -0.67 to 0.87, p = 0.796; "pain + placebo" vs. "pain + placebo + dog": difference = 0.11, CI = -0.43 to 0.64, p = 0.695). The results indicate that the mere presence of a dog does not contribute to pain reduction and that the analgesic effects of AAI that previous studies have found is not replicated in our study as AAI did not increase perceived social support and had no effect on the alliance between the participant and the treatment provider. We assume that the animal most likely needs to be an integrated and plausible part of the treatment rationale so that participants are able to form a treatment-response expectation toward AAI

Chapitre 7 - Le rôle des interactions entre humains et animaux dans l’éducation

Introduction Au cours de la dernière décennie, la recherche a prouvé l’existence d’une multitude d’effets positifs des interactions entre les êtres humains et les animaux sur la santé et le bien-être chez l’homme. Elle a mis en avant les mécanismes sous-jacents qui expliquent pourquoi l’utilisation des animaux peut parfois être plus efficace que les seules interventions humaines. Ces effets constituent un aspect important de One..

Publisher Correction: Effects of animal-assisted psychotherapy incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion in neurorehabilitation: a randomized controlled feasibility trial.

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Effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional-competence training for prisoners: a controlled study

Abstract: Background: Previous research has called for improving psychological interventions and developing new treatments for prisoners. Animal-assisted prison-based programmes have increasingly been used as an approach, but there is a lack of studies investigating the effectiveness of such programmes. Objective: To investigate the effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional- competence training on the socioemotional competences of prisoners compared to treatment as usual. Methods: In a controlled trial, we investigated 62 prisoners that participated in either a 6-month dog- assisted psychotherapeutic programme or the standard treatment. We assessed social and emotional competences before and after the training and at a 4-month follow-up. Data were analysed with linear models. Results: The prisoners' self-assessed social and emotional competences did not differ. The psychotherapists rated the prisoners' emotional competences in the intervention group higher at the follow-up but not after the training. The psychotherapists did not rate the prisoners' social competences in the intervention group differently but did find them to have higher self-regulation at follow-up and lower aggressiveness after the training than the control group. Conclusions: This study indicates that dog-assisted programmes with a therapeutic aim might be beneficial for prisoners. However, the inconsistent results indicate that more research is needed to determine the potential and limits of animal-assisted programmes in forensic settings

Effects of animal-assisted psychotherapy incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion in neurorehabilitation: a randomized controlled feasibility trial.

Transdiagnostic psychotherapeutic approaches are increasingly used in neurorehabilitation to address psychological distress. Animal-assistance is thought to increase efficacy. The present study evaluates a psychotherapeutic mindfulness- and self-compassion-based group intervention (MSCBI) with and without animal-assistance for patients with acquired brain injury. Patients (N = 31) were randomly assigned to the 6-week intervention with (n = 14) or without animal-assistance (n = 17). Primary outcome was psychological distress at post- and follow-up treatment, secondary outcomes were changes within-session of patients' emotional states, adherence to treatment and attrition. Psychological distress significantly decreased in both groups from pre- to follow-up treatment with no difference between groups. Patients in the animal-assisted MSCBI group reported significantly higher increases in feeling secure, accepted, comforted, grateful, motivated and at ease during the sessions compared to patients in the MSCBI group without animal-assistance. Adherence to sessions was significantly higher in the animal-assisted MSCBI group. Attrition did not significantly differ between groups. Our results show that both MSCBIs with and without animal-assistance are feasible and effective in reducing psychological distress in patients with acquired brain injury. The significant changes within-sessions mainly in relationship-based emotional states and the higher treatment adherence suggest additional effects of animal-assistance. Animal-assistance might increase acceptability and patients' commitment to psychotherapy

"There is a cat on our ward" : inpatient and staff member attitudes toward and experiences with cats in a psychiatric ward

The aim of this study was to investigate inpatient and staff member attitudes toward and experiences with ward cats, and identify possible mechanisms for how cats affect patient satisfaction in a psychiatric clinic. Thirty-three inpatients diagnosed with depression or psychosis residing on wards with and without cats and 17 staff members working on wards with cats participated in semi-structured interviews using a cross-sectional study design. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations. The results showed that 17 out of 19 inpatients and all the staff members liked having a cat on their ward. Further, 12 out of 14 inpatients on wards without cats would like having a cat on their ward. Inpatient perceptions of the cat's impact on the ward atmosphere correlated significantly with their emotional relationship with the cat (; p; = 0.015,; r; = 0.561), how often they saw the cat (; p; = 0.002,; r; = 0.676), and if they liked cats in general (; p; = 0.041,; r; = 0.486). Our results highlight the positive attitudes of inpatients and staff members toward ward cats and the potential of ward cats to enhance patient satisfaction. This influence might be mediated by factors such as the frequency of contact, the relationship between each patient and the cat, and each patient's attitude toward cats in general

The influence of human interaction on guinea pigs: behavioral and thermographic changes during animal-assisted therapy

Guinea pigs are often involved in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) but there is little knowledge about the effects of human contact on guinea pigs involved in AAT. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of availability of a retreat, presence of conspecifics, prior experience with AAT, and human interaction on indicators of welfare in guinea pigs involved in AAT. Guinea pigs of both sexes and different ages (n=20) were assigned to a randomized, controlled within-subject trial with repeated measurements. Each guinea pig was tested in four settings: (I) therapy with retreat possibility with conspecifics, (II) therapy with retreat possibility without conspecifics, (III) therapy without retreat possibility, and (IV) setting without human interaction. We measured changes in eye temperature, as a proxy to infer stress levels, at 5-s intervals with a thermographic camera. All sessions were video recorded and the guinea pigs' behavior was coded using continuous recording and focal animal sampling. For the statistical analysis we used generalized linear mixed models, with therapy setting as a fixed effect and individual guinea pig as a random effect. We observed a temperature increase relative to baseline in settings (I) therapy with retreat with conspecifics present and (III) therapy without retreat. The percentage of time a guinea pig was petted was positively correlated with a rise in the eye temperature independent of the setting. Time spent eating was reduced in all therapy settings (I-III) compared to the setting without HAI (human animal interaction) (IV). In the setting with retreat (I), guinea pigs showed more active behaviors such as locomotive behavior or startling compared to the setting without retreat (III) and the setting without HAI (IV). When no retreat was available (III), they showed more passive behaviors, such as standing still or freezing compared to therapy with retreat (I). Based on our results we identified the behaviors "reduced eating", "increased startle" and "increased freezing" as indicators of an increased stress level. Petting the guinea pigs was correlated with a rise in the eye temperature and might be a factor which can cause stress. Our results support the suggestion that guinea pigs involved in AAT should have a retreat possibility, should have access to conspecifics, and should be given time to adapt to a new setting. In this way, stress might be reduced

Is animal-assisted therapy for minimally conscious state beneficial? A case study

The goal of this single case study was to qualitatively investigate the effects of animal-assisted therapy in a patient in a minimally conscious state.; We present a 28-year-old female patient in a minimally conscious state following polytrauma after a sports accident leading to cerebral fat embolism causing multiple CNS ischemic lesions. She received eight animal-assisted therapy sessions and eight paralleled control therapy sessions over 4 weeks. We investigated the reactions of the patient during these sessions; via; qualitative behavior analysis.; The patient showed a broader variability and higher quality of behavior during animal-assisted therapy compared to control therapy sessions.; The observed behavioral changes showed higher arousal and increased awareness in the presence of an animal. The presented case supports the assumption that animal-assisted therapy can be a beneficial treatment approach for patients in a minimally conscious state

Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: A controlled trial

BACKGROUND There is a broad range of known effects of animal contact on human mental and physical health. Neurological correlates of human interaction with animals have been sparsely investigated. We investigated changes in frontal brain activity in the presence of and during contact with a dog. METHODS Twenty-one healthy individuals each participated in six sessions. In three sessions, participants had contact with a dog, and in three control sessions they interacted with a plush animal. Each session had five two-minute phases with increasing intensity of contact to the dog or plush animal from the first to the fourth phase. We measured oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin and oxygen saturation of the blood in the frontal lobe/frontopolar area with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SenSmart Model X-100) to assess brain activity. FINDINGS In both conditions, the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin increased significantly from the first to the fourth phase by 2.78 μmol/l (CI = 2.03-3.53, p < .001). Oxygenated hemoglobin concentration was 0.80 μmol/l higher in the dog condition compared to in the control condition (CI = 0.27-1.33, p = .004). Deoxygenated-hemoglobin concentration, total hemoglobin concentration, and oxygen saturation showed similar patterns. CONCLUSION Prefrontal brain activation in healthy subjects increased with the rise in interaction closeness with a dog or a plush animal. Moreover, interaction with a dog stimulated more brain activity compared to the control condition, suggesting that interactions with a dog can activate stronger attentional processes and elicit more emotional arousal than interacting with a nonliving stimulus

Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: a controlled trial

Background There is a broad range of known effects of animal contact on human mental and physical health. Neurological correlates of human interaction with animals have been sparsely inves- tigated. We investigated changes in frontal brain activity in the presence of and during con- tact with a dog. Methods Twenty-one healthy individuals each participated in six sessions. In three sessions, partici- pants had contact with a dog, and in three control sessions they interacted with a plush ani- mal. Each session had five two-minute phases with increasing intensity of contact to the dog or plush animal from the first to the fourth phase. We measured oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin and oxygen saturation of the blood in the frontal lobe/frontopolar area with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SenSmart Model X-100) to assess brain activity. Findings In both conditions, the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin increased significantly from the first to the fourth phase by 2.78 μmol/l (CI = 2.03-3.53, p < .001). Oxygenated hemoglo- bin concentration was 0.80 μmol/l higher in the dog condition compared to in the control con- dition (CI = 0.27-1.33, p = .004). Deoxygenated-hemoglobin concentration, total hemoglobin concentration, and oxygen saturation showed similar patterns. Conclusion Prefrontal brain activation in healthy subjects increased with the rise in interaction closeness with a dog or a plush animal. Moreover, interaction with a dog stimulated more brain activity compared to the control condition, suggesting that interactions with a dog can activate stron- ger attentional processes and elicit more emotional arousal than interacting with a nonliving stimulus