A sizeable number of U.S. veterans of all ages experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can impact their quality of life; physically, mentally and socially. Consequences of PTSD are associated with physical and emotional disabilities, including ideation of self-harm and even suicide. Increasingly, animal-assisted therapies (AAT) are used to treat PTSD and other physical and behavioral conditions in veterans. Over the decades, AATs have used dogs, cats, horses, and dolphins among other animals. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the use of AAT focusing on canine assisted therapy (CAT) among veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The methodology involved database searches, including MEDLINE, PubMed, PsychInfo, EBSCOhost, along with textbooks and popular media published from 2000 to 2016. Associated with the lack of more recent research, relevant articles published before 2000 were included in the review. Search terms included, ‘veterans,’ ‘service dogs,’ ‘service animals,’ ‘animal-assisted therapy,’ ‘canine therapy,’ ‘PTSD,’ ‘post-traumatic stress disorder,’ ‘psychiatric,’ ‘U.S. veterans,’ ‘equine therapy,’ ‘horse therapy,’ ‘pet therapy,’ and ‘military veterans.’ A total of ten relevant studies were identified which focused on the use of AAT among veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Different populations diagnosed with PTSD and other behavioral and psychiatric health conditions using AAT were examined as well. These articles were read, analyzed, and synthesized. Results of the review offer some support that AAT has psychological, physiological and psychosocial benefits for some populations across the lifespan with various diagnoses. Consistent and conflicting findings along with gaps in the literature are highlighted. Limitations and implications for nursing practice, research, policy and education also are noted in this thesis.

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Sjuksköterskan ansvarar för att främja hälsa, förebygga sjukdom, återställa hälsa och lindra lidande hos patienten. Djur har genom historien haft stor betydelse för människans välbefinnande och hälsa så väl i arbetet och som sällskap i hemmet. Forskning har visat att djur bidrar med positiva effekter inom äldrevård, skola och sjukvård vilket benämns som djurunderstödda insatser. Djurunderstödda insatser syftar till att uppnå terapeutiska fördelar hos människor inom bland annat hälso- och sjukvård. I Sverige är dock användningen av djur inom vården mycket begränsad jämfört med andra länder. Syftet med studien är att undersöka patientens upplevelse av djurunderstödda insatser i relation till välbefinnande och hälsa. För att besvara syftet valdes en allmän litteraturöversikt som metod, de artiklar som valdes i översikten var sex kvalitativa och två mixade. Resultatet presenteras i fem teman, 1. Upplevelse av närvaro och distraktion - djuren i centrum, 2. Ökat deltagande, motivation och välbefinnande - interaktion med djuren, 3. Att uppleva tillhörighet och gemenskap - bygga relationer, 4. Stärkt självförtroende och självkänsla - omsorg om djuren och 5. Upplevelse av både trygghet och oro - djurens närvaro. I diskussionen diskuteras djurens påverkan på hälsa och välbefinnande, hur sjuksköterskan kan ta lärdom och inspireras av djuren samt synen på djurunderstödda insatser och andra kompletterande behandlingar. / The Nurse responsibility is promoting Health, preventing disease, restoring health and ease suffering in patients. Animals have played a significant role throughout history contributing to human well-being and health, both in work and as companions in the home. Research has shown that animals have had positive effects in elderly homes, education and healthcare, referred to as animal assisted interventions. Animal assisted interventions aim to achieve therapeutic benefits for people in healthcare settings. However, in Sweden the use of animal assisted interventions in the healthcare department is very limited compared to other countries. The aim of this study is to investigate patients' experiences of animal assisted interventions in relation to wellbeing and health. To address this aim, a general literature review was chosen as the method, including six qualitative and two mixed-method articles. The result is presented in five themes: 1. Experience, presence and distraction - the animals in the center, 2. Increased participation, motivation and well-being -Interaction with the animals, 3. Experiencing belonging and community - building relationships, 4. Strengthened self-confidence and self-esteem - caring for the animals and 5. Experience of feeling safe and worry - the presence of animals. The discussion discusses the impact of animals on health and well-being, how the nurse can learn from and be inspired by animals, as well as the view on animal-assisted interventions and other complementary treatments.

Sweden is often seen as a welfare state where children can grow up in safe circumstances. However, social support for children who are at risk of social exclusion has been shown to be lacking. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative intervention within the field of social work, though it is still in its infancy. Existing research evidence suggests that AAT can generate positive results, especially for individuals who have low engagement in other types of treatment. This study examines how AAT is used within the field of social work with children and young people. Seven professionals who employ AAT in their work with children and young people were interviewed. The interviews were interpreted through Antonovsky’s theory Sense of Coherence (SOC). Results show that the animal is seen to increase motivation for the child to partake in the treatment. The therapeutic alliance that is created through the presence of the animal can be helpful in increasing the child’s SOC and the surrounding environment can also play a significant part.

The aim with this research is to present children with autism an alternative method through animal assisted therapy to communicate and socialize. Since children with autism cannot be guided to mastery of full maturity by means of the ordinary education system, separate provision of highly specialized fomative and formal education is essential. Autism prevents a child from reaching out to the world and other people. Autism implies a lack of communication with others and entails a disturbed dialogue with the world. This is revealed by the strange and odd behaviour of the child with autism. The aim of this research is to use animal assited therapy to bridge the gap between numerous problems experienced by the child with autism ascribed to his inadequate affective life, inablitity to form relationships with others, his language, speech and communication problems and poor sensory integration. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This dissertation employs a case study research design and reviews literature from the field of animal assisted therapy (AAT) with an emphasis on equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP), as a possible therapeutic alternative for treating inappropriate aggressive behaviour in a young boy. The research suggests that Horse Whispering can indeed be regarded as a viable therapeutic technique when intent on breaking the aggressive behaviour cycle. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Syftet med pilotstudien var att undersöka hur klienter som deltog i hästunderstödd behandling (n = 13) till följd av psykisk ohälsa såg på relationen till hästen och dess anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande egenskaper, samt i vilken utsträckning respondenterna hade ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. För jämförelse användes en grupp fritidsryttare (n = 23). Klientgruppen rekryterades genom intresseföreningen Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) och fritidsryttargruppen från två ridskolor. Deltagarna fick genomföra en enkät med frågor avseende anknytningsfrämjande kvaliteter i relationen till hästen, samt vilka relationsskapande egenskaper de ansåg hästen besitta. Resultatet indikerade att båda grupperna i hög utsträckning såg positiva egenskaper i hästen och såg relationen till hästen som positiv. Resultaten indikerade att klientgruppen i högre utsträckning såg egenskaper och relationella kvaliteter i hästen som kan ses som anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande. Fritidsryttargruppen uppgav i högre utsträckning ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. Trots det begränsade urvalet och att resultatet inte genomgående var entydigt, tolkas resultaten som att det finns belägg för vidare utforskning av ämnet och undersökning av frågeställningen för ett större urval med en reviderad kvantitativ enkät då pilotstudien fann signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna. / The purpose of this pilot study was to explore clients undertaking equine assisted treatment for mental illness (n = 13) view of the horses attachment and working alliance facilitating abilities. Further, the study aimed to explore to which extent the respondents viewed themselves as being authoritative in relation to the horse. For comparison a group of recreational equestrians (n = 23) were used. The respondents in the client group were recruited from the association Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) and the recreational equestrians were recruited from two riding schools. The participants undertook a survey with questions regarding attachment facilitating qualities in their relationship with the horse, and which relationship facilitating characteristics they experienced in the horse. The results indicated that the respondents in both groups over all viewed the horses’ characteristics and their relationship with the horse as positive. The results indicated that the client group to a higher extent regarded the horse as having characteristics and relational qualities that could be viewed as alliance and attachment facilitating. The recreational equestrians reported an authoritative approach toward the horse to a larger degree than the client group. Although there were limitations regarding the size of the sample, and coherence in the results, the results indicated that there are grounds for future research of the subject and research question at hand, with the use of a larger population and a revised survey, as the pilot study did find significant differences between the groups.

South African adolescents are more likely to participate in high-risk behaviours, because they are exposed to high-risk environments that have a negative impact on them. The choices that adolescents make during this explorative life stage will influence and determine certain outcomes of their adult lives. Therefore, it is crucial to improve adolescents’ psychological well-being, as they are the future generation adults. Adolescents with behaviour problems form a unique population who do not respond effectively to traditional therapy, and researchers are continuously searching for more effective ways to reach this population. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an intervention that has been proven to be effective with this population and to provide better outcomes than traditional psychotherapy. Although the value and positive effects of EAT has been proven, there is a gap in the literature concerning research on this topic, especially with regard to research conducted by means of quantitative methods. The overarching goal of this study was to evaluate and refine an EAT programme aimed at improving the psychological well-being of boys in a school of industry. This goal was attained by utilising a quantitative, experimental research design. The Solomon four-group design was applied, because it effectively controls pre-test sensitisation and provides the best control against threats to internal validity. The sample was selected from a school of industry near Bloemfontein, which provides residence to a group of adolescent boys who display behaviour problems. The 40 boys (N = 40) included in the sample were divided into two experimental groups of 10 boys each and two control groups of 10 boys each. During the course of the study, one of the boys withdrew and the sample was reduced to 39 boys. The programme was administered to the boys in the experimental groups. Before the programme commenced, one of the experimental groups and one of the control groups completed the pre-test. The psychometric instruments used were a biographical questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced Questionnaire. The boys then completed the EAT programme which consisted of eight sessions, each with its own outcomes and designed to improve subjective well-being and coping. After completion of the programme, all four groups completed the post-test consisting of the same psychometric instruments as the pre-test. The results showed that the programme significantly improved the boys’ subjective well-being. The boys’ problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping were also increased significantly. These improvements can be attributed directly to the programme, because pre-test sensitisation was controlled. The study found that the EAT programme had a significant positive effect on the boys’ subjective well-being and coping. The conclusion can be drawn that the programme significantly improved the boys’ psychological well-being. The programme was evaluated and refined, and recommendations were made for its future use. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This diploma thesis deals with the use of canistherapy in the special education practise. It records the development, methods, forms and type sof canistherapy, included risks and benefits of this psychoterapeutic method. The research parts maps the relationship between the education of dog handlers and the quality of their fieldwork.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:12:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 camila.pdf: 1754083 bytes, checksum: 276e801339ef844d3eac988084310098 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / INTRODUCTION: By sharing our routines with animals, they became part of our culture when start to occupy different roles, besides the company. Currently, due to the benefits not restricted to common sense, but also listed from scientific research, they are in clinics, hospitals, schools and many others institutions. These studies gave itself two ways to call procedures involving animals with the purpose of taking care of human health: animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) (DELTA SOCIETY, 2006) OBJECTIVE:Investigating the possible effects of the interaction speech therapyst-patient-dog in the operation of patients language with disturbances of language. The event set in the possibility of the device animal, in speech therapy setting, enhance the therapeutic process. METHOD: Clinical-quality research, developed in study of clinical cases mode. The ethical standards for research with humans and animals were obey.Casuistry: Three subjects, from sample unintentional: Jonas, 12; 0 years, male, with difficulties in writing / reading language; Lucas, 8; 0 years, male with school´s complaints related to difficulties in the written / reading language, summed the dismotivation for learning; Pedro, 4; 0 years, male with phonological changes that lead to segments of unintelligible speech, as well as complaints related to aggressive behavior. The animal participant was a dog without defined race (SDR), seven years old, female, selected in accordance with the criteria proposed by Aiello (DOTTI, 2005). Procedure: The clinical material was recorded in writing regularly and the sessions were recorded on digital camera bimonthly. The interpretation of the data came from theoretical benchmarks of anthropology, speech therapy, psychoanalysis and AAT. RESULTS: The AAT favored the interaction between therapist / patient, intensified the activity dialogical (LaFRANCE et al, 2007) the motivation to write and to read, the reduction of the problems manifest in writing (replacements / omissions grafemics, junction / separation misuse of words); besides mobilize the affectivity of the patients.CONCLUSION: The introduction of AAT as a therapeutic device shown to be effective in clinical cases studied. It is suggested therefore that the Speech Therapy participate more actively in this field of study, since the results corroborate the findings of research that suggests the effectiveness of AAT in various therapeutic environments / INTRODUÇÃO: Ao compartilhar nossas rotinas com os animais, estes passaram a fazer parte de nossa cultura ao ocupar diferentes papéis, para além da companhia. Atualmente, devido aos benefícios não restritos ao senso comum, mas também elencados a partir de pesquisas científicas, eles habitam consultórios, hospitais, escolas e instituições diversa. Desses estudos originaram-se duas formas de denominar procedimentos que envolvem animais com o objetivo de cuidar da saúde humana: atividade assistida por animais (AAA) e terapia assistida por animais (TAA) (DELTA SOCIETY, 2006). OBJETIVO: Investigar os possíveis efeitos da interação fonoaudiólogo-paciente-cão no funcionamento da linguagem de pacientes com distúrbios de linguagem. A hipótese configurou-se na possibilidade do dispositivo animal, no setting fonoaudiológico, potencializar o processo terapêutico. MÉTODO: Pesquisa de natureza clínico-qualitativa, desenvolvida na modalidade estudo de casos clínicos. As normas éticas para pesquisa com seres humanos e animais foram obedecidas. Casuística: três sujeitos, a partir de amostra não intencional: Jonas, 12;0 anos, sexo masculino, com dificuldades na linguagem escrita/leitura. Lucas, 8;0 anos, sexo masculino com queixas escolares relacionadas a dificuldades na linguagem escrita/leitura, somadas a desmotivação para aprendizagem. Pedro, 4;0 anos, sexo masculino com alterações fonológicas que levam a segmentos ininteligíveis de fala, além de queixas relacionadas ao comportamento agressivo, O animal participante foi um cão sem raça definida (SDR), sete anos, fêmea, selecionado de acordo com os critérios propostos por Aiello (DOTTI, 2005). Procedimento: O material clínico foi registrado por escrito regularmente e as sessões foram gravadas em câmera digital bimestralmente. A interpretação dos dados ocorreu a partir de referenciais teóricos da antropologia, fonoaudiologia, psicanálise e TAA. RESULTADOS: A TAA favoreceu a interação terapeuta/paciente, intensificou a atividade dialógica (LaFRANCE et al, 2007) a motivação para escrever e ler, a diminuição dos problemas manifestos na escrita (substituições/omissões grafêmicas, junção/separação indevida de palavras); além de mobilizar a afetividade dos pacientes. CONCLUSÃO: A introdução da TAA como dispositivo terapêutico mostrou-se eficaz nos casos clínicos estudados. Sugere-se, portanto, que a Fonoaudiologia participe mais ativamente desse campo de estudos, já que os resultados obtidos corroboram os achados de pesquisas que apontam a eficácia da TAA em ambientes terapêuticos diversos