Abstract
Rigor in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) research is growing, but AAT as an “evidence-based practice” is not yet clearly established. One methodological weakness in the current literature is the lack of a structured, manualized approach to AAT. The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, founded on the principles of human-canine interaction, aims to enhance children’s resilience, social skills, and self-awareness. This study examined the utility of this manualized curriculum as a supplemental component of a pediatric intensive behavioral health treatment program for children with a range of psychiatric conditions. Patients, psychiatrists, and caregivers completed assessments of children’s (N = 22) symptoms before and after treatment, with analyses investigating the difference in symptoms for patients who received animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as a part of their treatment and patients who did not. Patients also completed mood scores before and after group sessions with and without a therapy dog present. Results indicate that AAT may be an effective adjunct to standard care in a pediatric setting. The success of AAT alongside behavioral treatment led to reduction in symptoms and improvement in mood for patients. These findings support previous research indicating the efficacy of using a manualized curriculum and the advantages of using dogs as part of treatment to supplement behavioral health services.
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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Penn Medicine Princeton Health Institutional Review Board, and have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its latera amendments or comparable ethical standards. All applicable international, national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.
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Kashden, J., Lincoln, C.R. & Finn-Stevenson, M. Curriculum-Based Animal-Assisted Therapy in an Acute Outpatient Mental Health Setting. J Contemp Psychother 51, 77–83 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-020-09470-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-020-09470-8