This pilot study examined the effect of participation in an equine-assisted activities (EAA) program on the social functioning of participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Pre- and post-assessments via the Naples Equestrian Challenge Participant Initial Evaluation were completed by a trained Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor prior to and at the conclusion of a 12 week EAA program. 12 individuals (75% male; M age = 10.8; age range 5 – 20 years) participated. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted to examine the impact of EAA on social functioning. Analyses revealed that involvement in the EAA program resulted in a significant improvement in social functioning, but when grouped by age (5 – 10 years old, 10 – 20 years old) the effects were not significant. Lastly, individual analyses indicated that 75% of the sample had improved social functioning scores after participation in the EAA program. Results support EAA as an effective therapy for persons with ASD.

No description available.

Children diagnosed and treated for cancer experience a profound life-transformation as they are confronted with unprecedented physical, psychosocial and emotional challenges. Children’s experience of diagnosis and treatment is often accompanied by a lack of participation and reduced control. Extensive research has been conducted on a variety of supportive interventions. Only a limited amount of research, however, has investigated the potential of animal-assisted activities (AAAs) to afford specialised support for the child hospitalised with cancer. Moreover, of this limited research, few studies explore AAAs in relation to participation and control. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how participation and control are experienced during animal-assisted activities by children hospitalised with cancer. Paediatric oncology patients between the ages of 8 and 14 with any type of cancer were offered the opportunity to participate in the study, which comprised of animal-assisted activities at the facility where patients received their medical care. Five children were included in the final sample. Data were gathered by means of non-participant observations, participant interviews, graphic questionnaires and field notes. Data were then analysed in accordance with steps proposed by Tesch (1990: 142-145), which involved coding according to categories and related themes. Five major themes emerged, including (1) approach to animals, (2) body awareness, (3) level of engagement, (4) level of dependence and (5) communication. Nine sub-themes were derived from data analysis. Under “approach to animals”, the sub-themes were (i) taking the lead, (ii) grooming and affection and (iii) laughter and spontaneity. The sub-themes of “body awareness” were (iv) protection of body and (v) comfort. The sub-themes of “level of engagement” were (vi) initiative and (vii) choice. Finally, the sub-themes of “communication” were (viii) verbal communication and (ix) non-verbal communication. The study provides insight into the participation and control experienced during animal-assisted activities by children hospitalised with cancer. When the initial and final AAA sessions were compared, changes were noted in terms of the children’s approaches to the dog, their body awareness, their level of engagement, their level of dependence and their communication. These changes are associated with an enhanced sense of participation and control, aspects that are often reported to be diminished in children who are diagnosed, treated and hospitalised with cancer. AAAs should therefore be considered an effective means of supporting children hospitalised with cancer. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Children diagnosed and treated for cancer experience a profound life-transformation as they are confronted with unprecedented physical, psychosocial and emotional challenges. Children’s experience of diagnosis and treatment is often accompanied by a lack of participation and reduced control. Extensive research has been conducted on a variety of supportive interventions. Only a limited amount of research, however, has investigated the potential of animal-assisted activities (AAAs) to afford specialised support for the child hospitalised with cancer. Moreover, of this limited research, few studies explore AAAs in relation to participation and control. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how participation and control are experienced during animal-assisted activities by children hospitalised with cancer. Paediatric oncology patients between the ages of 8 and 14 with any type of cancer were offered the opportunity to participate in the study, which comprised of animal-assisted activities at the facility where patients received their medical care. Five children were included in the final sample. Data were gathered by means of non-participant observations, participant interviews, graphic questionnaires and field notes. Data were then analysed in accordance with steps proposed by Tesch (1990: 142-145), which involved coding according to categories and related themes. Five major themes emerged, including (1) approach to animals, (2) body awareness, (3) level of engagement, (4) level of dependence and (5) communication. Nine sub-themes were derived from data analysis. Under “approach to animals”, the sub-themes were (i) taking the lead, (ii) grooming and affection and (iii) laughter and spontaneity. The sub-themes of “body awareness” were (iv) protection of body and (v) comfort. The sub-themes of “level of engagement” were (vi) initiative and (vii) choice. Finally, the sub-themes of “communication” were (viii) verbal communication and (ix) non-verbal communication. The study provides insight into the participation and control experienced during animal-assisted activities by children hospitalised with cancer. When the initial and final AAA sessions were compared, changes were noted in terms of the children’s approaches to the dog, their body awareness, their level of engagement, their level of dependence and their communication. These changes are associated with an enhanced sense of participation and control, aspects that are often reported to be diminished in children who are diagnosed, treated and hospitalised with cancer. AAAs should therefore be considered an effective means of supporting children hospitalised with cancer. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Bakgrund: Hundterapi är ett relativt outforskat område, i dagsläget finns det en begränsad mängd med evidensbaserad forskning rörande vårdhundens effekter. Vårdhunden har många olika användningsområden inom sjukvården. Sjukdomar som demens och psykisk ohälsa är vida utbrett i världen och det syns en ökning av personer som drabbas av demens vilket kan kopplas till en ökad medellivslängd. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva vårdhundens effekter på välbefinnandet hos personer med kognitiv nedsättning samt att som metodologisk aspekt beskriva på vilket sätt hunden använts som oberoende variabel i studiernas interventioner. Metod: En deskriptiv litteraturstudie där tio kvantitativa experimentella studier har granskats och sammanställts. Huvudresultat: Sammanställningen av studierna gav tre olika utfall, förbättrad effekt, försämrad effekt samt oförändrat utfall. Flera av studierna visade på att vårdhunden hade minskat deltagarnas depressiva symtom och deras nedstämdhet. Samtidigt syntes en ökad emotionell stabilitet samt en minskad ångest och aggressivitet hos deltagarna. De ingående studierna visade även en försämrad effekt av välbefinnandet och en ökning av dementa symptom vilket yttrade sig genom att deltagarna blev mindre adekvata och mer verbalt aggressiva, huruvida denna effekt berodde på vårdhunden framkom inte. Utifrån den metodologiska frågeställningen framkom det ur studierna att deltagarna fått klappa, leka, utfodra, promenera samt fått välja själva hur de spendera tiden med hunden. Slutsatser: Ur litteraturstudien framkom det förbättrade effekter på välbefinnandet hos deltagarna med kognitiva nedsättningar efter hundterapin, vilket framhåller hundens hälsofrämjande egenskaper. Vidare saknade stora delar av de ingående studierna statistisk signifikans och blev därför inte tillförlitliga. Det behövs därför mer evidensbaserad forskning för att kunna fastställa vårdhundens effekter inom området. / Background: Dog therapy is an unexplored area within the field of nursing, to date there´s a lack of evidence based research regarding the therapeutic effects of the dog in health-care. The therapy dog has a variety of areas in the healthcare which it can be used. Dementia and mental illness is a widely spread over the world and there is an increase in people diagnosed with the disorder, it´s thought to be related to increased average life expectancy. Aim: The aim of this literature-review was to describe the effects of the therapy dog on the wellbeing on patients with cognitive dysfunctions and as methodological aspect describe in which way the dog has been used as an independent variable in the interventions of the studies. Method: A descriptive literature-review where ten quantitative experimental studies has been reviewed and complied. Main result: The result of the included studies were summarized under three different outcomes, improved effect, degraded effect and unchanged effect. Several of the studies showed a decrease in the participant’s depressive symptoms, it was thought to be due to the effects of the dog. The participants showed an increased emotional stability and a reduced grade of anxiety as well as decreased aggressive behavior. The outcome of the included studies also showed a decreased tendency in the participant’s self-experience quality of life and an increased frequency of dementia symptoms, which were revealed as les adequateness and more verbally aggressive. Based on the methodological question the studies showed that the activities the participants did during the intervention were; pet the dog, play with the dog, feed it, take walks with the dog and they could choose individually what they wanted to do. Conclusion: The literature- review revealed that the therapy dog had a improved impact on the participants wellbeing after the intervention, compared to before the intervention. This emphasizes the dog´s health-promoting characteristics. Furthermore, the outcome of the literature- review shows that the result from the included studies lack statistical significance, therefore these results were not counted as reliable. The present review underlines the need for further evidence- based research regarding the health-promoting effects of the therapy dog.

Bakgrund: Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) har i tidigare studier visat sig vara en effektiv metod inom äldrevården och pediatriken för att öka känslan av sammanhang och livskvalité. En person med autism behöver ha en anpassad miljö runtomkring sig för att bibehålla bland annat kognitiva funktioner som i sin tur kan främja hälsa och skapa livskvalité. Ett djur skulle kunna vara ett sätt att anpassa miljön omkring barnet med autism, då det visat sig att djurs närhet har en positiv effekt inom andra vårdområden. Djurterapins huvudområde är att minska sociala, emotionella och kognitiva problem i patientens handlingsplan. När ett barn har någon form av diagnos, blir hela familjen involverad i vården av barnet. Barnet med autism har också särskilt svårt att berätta om sina egna känslor och upplevelser, därför bygger den föreliggande studien på familjernas erfarenheter av djurens betydelse. Syfte: Att beskriva familjers erfarenheter av vilken betydelse djur har för barn med autism. Syftet var också att beskriva den metodologiska aspekten undersökningsgrupp i de inkluderade artiklarna. Metod: En deskriptiv litteraturstudie gjordes. Genom att använda sig av inklusionskriterier, exklusionskriterier och limits, valdes elva artiklar ut - nio kvantitativa och två tvärvetenskapliga - och granskades utifrån frågeställningarna som satts upp. Huvudresultat: Resultatet visade att djurterapi har stor betydelse för barnets sociala förmåga. Även positiva resultat sågs angående kommunikation, problemlösningsförmåga, repetativa beteenden, fysisk styrka och motorik. Undersökningsgrupperna var ojämna, då de hade en ojämn könsfördelning. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att djurterapi haft en positiv betydelse för barn med autism och deras sociala liv. Vidare forskning behövs göras för att göra djurterapi till en evidensbeprövad behandlingsform i framtiden. / Background: Previous research has shown that Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is an efficient method to increase the Sense of Coherence and Quality of Life in pediatric- and geriatric care. A person with autism needs to have an adapted environment to maintain cognitive functions which can promote health and promote Quality of Life. In this case, animals could be a means to create environmental adaptation for a child with autism, since animals have proven to have a positive effect on patients in other areas of care. The main purpose of the AAT is to reduce social, emotional and cognitive problems in the care-plan of the child. When a child has some kind of diagnosis, the whole family gets involved in the caring process. The child with autism also have difficulties to share feelings and life experiences. Therefore the present study is based on the experience of families regarding the importance of animals. Aim: To describe families experiences of the importance of animals for children with autism. The aim was also to describe the methodological aspect study group in the included articles. Method: A descriptive literature study was conducted. By using inclusion- and exclusion criterias and limits, eleven articles were chosen – nine with quantitative approach and two with interdiciplinary approach – and were reviewed on the basis of the chosen questions. Main result: The result has shown that AAT is of great importance for the childs social abilities. Also, positive results were shown in communication, problem solving skills, repetative behaviour, physical strength and motor skills. The study groups were uneven, as they had a gender bias. Conclusion: The results showed that AAT have had a positive effect for children with autism and their social life. More research is needed to make AAT an evidential form of treatment in the future.

Bakgrund: Demens är den fjärde största folksjukdomen i Sverige. Ofta behandla demens med läkemedel för Behavioural and Psychological Symtoms in Dementia (BPSD) som ger olika biverkningar. Det finns ett stadigt samband mellan umgänge med djur och livskvalitet där termer som återhämtning, trivsel och stressreduktion räknas in. Alternativa metoder som djur i omvårdnaden av personer med demens bör därför övervägas för att förbättra dementas livskvalitet. Syfte: Att beskriva forskning om djur i omvårdnad av personer med demens och hur det kan förbättra deras livskvalitet. Metod: En litteraturöversikt där resultatet var baserat på tio vetenskapliga artiklar hämtade från databaserna Cinahl, Pubmed, Psychinfo och Web of Science publicerade mellan 2011-2016. Nio av artiklarna var kvantitativa, en var kvalitativ. Resultat: Deltagarnas emotionella och kognitiva status påverkades av umgänge med djur. Glädje var en känsla som uppstod och som sedan resulterade i att deltagarna log. Depression och nedstämdhet påverkades i en positiv riktning i flera studier där djur implementerats i omvårdnaden, motivation till att delta i aktiviteter och genomföra dagliga sysslor likaså. Slutsats: Djur i omvårdnaden hade en positiv inverkan hos personer med demens och att livskvaliteten främjades genom att djur, främst hundar, förbättrade olika faktorer hos personer med demens. / Background: Dementia is the fourth largest national disease in Sweden. Dementia is often treated with medications for Behavioural and Psychological Symtoms in Dementia (BPSD) giving different side effects. There is a firm link between socializing with the animals and quality of life where terms such as recovery, wellbeing and stress reduction are included. Alternative methods such as animals in the care of people with dementia should be considered to improve the demented quality of life. Aim: To describe research on animals in the care of people with dementia and how it can improve their quality of life. Methods: A literature review in which the outcome were based on ten scientific articles from the databases Cinahl, Pubmed, Psychinfo and Web of Science published between 2011-2016. Nine of the articles had a quantitative approach, one had a qualitative approach. Results: The participants' emotional and cognitive status were influenced by association with animals. Joy was a feeling that arose which resulted in that the participants smiled. Depression and depressed moods were affected in a positive direction in several studies in which animals were implemented in the care, motivation to participate in activities and carry out daily chores as well. Conclusion: Animals in the care had a positive effect in people with dementia and the quality of life encouraged by animals, mainly dogs, improved various factors in people with dementia. / <p></p><p></p><p></p>

Background:Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) first came about in the US in the 1960s and was primarily used in child psychiatry. Since then it has evolved and spread to other countries and to other disciplines in health care. In Sweden AAI is used in some institutions for people living with dementia and is a popular feature among the residents. The purpose of the study is to examine if there are reasons for the use of AAI as a non-pharmacological treatment to promote the quality of life of people living with dementia. Methods: The study is a systematic literature review. 13 articles were used to answer the purpose. Results: The compilation of the studies shows that several positive effects appear when using AAI of people with dementia. This applies to several elements of the concept of quality of life which are improved. However, the number of people participating in the studies are small, and many of the results are not statistically significant. Conclusion: AAI appears to be a very popular feature in the care of people with dementia and for those who enjoy being in the company of animals, it may be a way to raise the perceived quality of life. More research with larger groups of participants are needed to obtain more reliable results.

SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Demens är en folksjukdom som blir allt större i och med att befolkningen växer och människorna blir äldre. Detta kostar samhället enorma summor pengar eftersom dessa utsatta människor är i konstant behov av vård. Därför krävs effektiva och billiga hjälpmedel för att stärka den nuvarande vården av människor med demens idag. Djuren har levt nära människan väldigt länge och har varit till stor nytta genom tiderna genom att både ha agerat som arbetskraft och som sällskap. Syfte: Syftet med den här studien var att utforska betydelsen av djurs inverkan på personer med demens välbefinnande genom att undersöka interaktionen mellan människor och djur. Metod: En litteraturstudie användes. 12 originalartiklar valdes från databaserna Pubmed, CINAHL och Google Scholar som sedan lästs, granskats och bearbetats till fyra olika resultatkategorier. Joyce Travelbee’s teori användes som teoretisk ram. Resultat: Fyra kategorier av betydelsen av djurs inverkan på välbefinnandet identifierades: Positiv effekt, förändring av negativa psykologiska beteende, ingen eller obetydlig effekt och ökad fysisk aktivitet/balans. Genom att låta personer med demens få umgås med sällskapsdjur kontinuerligt visar sig ha en god effekt på social interaktion, ökad kognitiv förmåga och psykologiska problem såsom aggression, ängslan, oro och stress. Det finns också tecken på att sessioner med hundar även kan förstärka balansen genom att inspirera personerna till att gå och röra på sig mer än vad de gjorde innan interventionen. Slutsats: Närvaron av djur tenderar att ha en positiv inverkan på äldre personer med demenssjukdom. Även om mer forskning i ämnet behövs så kan ändå sällskapsdjur användas inom hälso- och sjukvården för att tillfälligt uppmuntra, aktivera och bidra med glädje och livslust i vardagen. / ABSTRACT Background: Dementia is a disease that is increasing as the population grows and people around the world gets older. This costs society enormous amount of money because these vulnerable people are in constant need of care. This requires effective and inexpensive means of assistance to strengthen the current care of people with dementia today. The animals have lived close to the human being for a long time and have been very useful of all time both by acting as labor and as company. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the significance of the animal influences on person with dementia´s well-being through the interaction between human beings and animals. Methods: A literature study was used. 12 original articles were selected from the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, which then were read, reviewed and analyzed to the four categories of results. Joyce Travelbee’s theory was used for the theoretical frame. Results: The four categories of the importance of animal influences in well-being were; positive effect, changing of negative psychological behavior, none or insignificant effect and increased physical activity or balance. By allowing people with dementia to socialize with pets continuously proves to have a good effect on social interaction, increased cognitive ability and psychological problems such as aggression, anxiety, worry and stress. There are also signs that sessions with a therapy dog can enhance balance by inspiring people to walk and mobilize themselves more than what they did before the intervention. Conclusion: The presence of animals tends to have a positive impact on older people with dementia. Although more research is needed on the subject, one can still use pets within healthcare to temporarily encourage, activate and to bring joy and happiness in everyday life.

Companion animals play a pivotal role in typical human development. It remains unknown how animals affect individuals with developmental disabilities. Based on the knowledge that companion animals help typically developing individuals, this research examined the effects of human-animal interactions on individuals with developmental disabilities. Human-animal interactions are based on the Biophilia hypothesis, an assertion that an emotional and beneficial relationship exists between humans and nature, in which there is an “innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes.” These are the shared, dynamic associations between people and animals, and the effects of those relationships on health and well-being. Sparse research exists, and the field and literature is scattered among various disciplines. In the first article in this work I examined and synthesized literature related to the effects of human-animal interaction on individuals with developmental disabilities, including companion animals and more formal animal-assisted therapy. In the second article in this work I examined, via direct observation, video recording, and Individualized Education Plan goal attainment, whether animal-assisted therapy (here, occupational therapy intervention incorporating a trained therapy dog) affected playfulness during routine occupational therapy sessions with children with developmental disabilities. Finally, in the third article I examined whether occupational therapy incorporating animal-assisted therapy changed participation during routine occupational therapy treatment sessions with children with developmental disabilities. Children with disabilities often exhibit impairments in play and participation, and enhancing these areas is likely to further their functional ability. The constructs of play and participation are significant in the lives of children with developmental disabilities, and a foundation of pediatric occupational therapy practice. Together they comprise two of the eight “Areas of Occupation” in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. The effects of incorporating animal-assisted therapy into occupational therapy are not well documented, although other disciplines have found animal-assisted therapy to be an effectual intervention. Human-animal interaction scholars have called for evidence-based effectiveness studies. This research responded to that call, examining the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy from a functional perspective not yet addressed in the literature.