Rapid increases in population ageing and the associated rise in the prevalence of dementia have created many challenges for the care of older people with dementia. As the majority of people now living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) now have dementia, the need to maximise the quality of life for this group is increasingly recognised. While such issues have attracted research and policy attention in recent years, the evidence base for practice in dementia care is still underdeveloped. The need for more effective therapeutic interventions to improve the quality of life for older people with dementia is recognised, particularly those living in RACFs. The use of pets is one example of recent attempts to help create a more home-like environment and dog therapy is available in many facilities. Well designed research to demonstrate whether it actually has a positive impact on residents’ quality of life is lacking. This study is the first reported randomised controlled trial investigating dog therapy for people with dementia. Fifty-five older people with mild to moderate dementia living in three residential aged care facilities in the Greater Brisbane area participated in this study. The goal was to identify whether dog therapy accrued any benefits to residents’ well being and compare the benefits, if any, with human-only therapy intervention. The main hypothesis was that dog contact delivered in a small group recreational therapy format would have a beneficial effect on the well being of participants. It was additionally hypothesised that prior and current positive relationships with dogs would be related to improved outcomes of dog therapy and support a human-animal bond explanation of relationship development with the therapy dog(s). Participants were randomly assigned into two groups within each facility: The dog therapy group and a human-only therapy group. Session plans were structured according to a recreational therapy format. Three therapy dogs were used (a miniature Poodle, a Staffordshire Terrier and a German Shepherd Dog) with one dog present at any dog therapy session A before-and-after design was used with concealment of participants at allocation. Mixed methods were used including a panel of seven validated psychometric instruments, an observational measure and a series of four novel questionnaires, dogs for older groups with Alzheimer’s (DOGA), developed de novo specifically to investigate the effects of dog therapy on participants within this study. Measures of mood, quality of life, health and psychosocial functioning, collectively referred to as well-being, detected benefits accruing to dog therapy participants compared with human-only therapy that approached significance (p = .056) with a large effect size (partial eta squared 16.6%). A different measure of mood and apathy showed similar improvement for participants of both therapy types trialed with analyses of a smaller dataset (n = 36) revealing an overall highly significant result (p=.008) and large effect size (partial eta squared = 25.6%) for all participants. To explore the perceptions of care staff to the dog therapy intervention, a self-complete semi-structured questionnaire was completed by a sample of 21 from two of the study facilities. Content analysis revealed that staff overwhelmingly supported dog therapy with a total of 84 comments about benefits and 22 about risks. Responses were categorised and then linked into emergent themes: a temporal dimension, sense of self and increased opportunities for self expression. The opportunity provided by the therapy dog for accessible caring physical contact for participants was identified as important. General recreational therapy goals such as improved mood, reminiscence and increased levels of conversation were reported by staff to continue beyond interventions. The observed risks were: confusion over dog ownership, subsequent worry about losing the dog after sessions, jealousy over the therapy dog and one participant did not enjoy the small group format. Participants described their experiences of contact with the therapy dog as “like” above “attached”. Personal preference explanations are therefore supported, rather than “attachment”, to explain outcomes for participants. This suggests the psychosocial approach has greater relevance here than human-animal bond explanations. Effects of previous dog attachment on outcomes were inconclusive but there was some evidence that participants’ relationship with the therapy dog(s) influenced outcomes, though the nature of that relationship has not been clarified. Recommendations from the study findings are that dog therapy be conducted for people with mild to moderate levels of dementia in groups of 3-11 for a duration of around 10 weeks with sessions for 30 minutes held once or twice weekly and according to a standard format. Opportunities for participants to touch, hug and interact directly with the therapy dog should be maximised without compromising dog welfare. The findings suggest that respect for the personhood of participants is important to the success of the therapy types trialled, which further supports psychosocial therapies involving contact with people or live animals for use with people with dementia over those that minimise or exclude it.

Text in English / Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a form of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) used to treat individuals’ psychological problems. EAP is an interactive process in which a licensed mental health practitioner, a credentialed equine professional and suitable equines work together to address psychotherapy goals. Since the 1990s, research on EAP has grown rapidly in the United States of America (USA) and Europe, however research in the South African context is lacking. This descriptive and exploratory research study explored and described the experiences of licensed mental health practitioners and/or credentialed equine specialists who have included EAP within their practise by focusing on the role that equines play within the psychotherapeutic process. The knowledge of this study was derived from a Constructivistic epistemology. Constructivism argues that humans attain and build knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Participants were selected based on purposeful criterion sampling. Only licensed mental health practitioners or credentialed equine specialists who included EAP within their practise, registered at the Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Institute of South Africa (EAPISA) or the Equine-Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) were considered for participation. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with six participants. A post-interview follow-up email was used to gain additional feedback from each participant. Finally, data was analysed using thematic analysis. As EAP is a fairly new modality of therapy within South Africa, the contribution of this study is to add to the growing body of professional EAP literature. Thematic analysis identified seven main themes: shifting dynamics in the therapeutic relationship, setting the scene for storytelling, the equine as an intermediary and therapeutic tool, what the equine sees is what you get, instantaneous but lasting results, variations and similarities in approach and activities, the emotive motives of EAP practitioners. These themes are discussed in relation to the research findings. Findings of this study showed substantial agreement in what the equine brings to the psychotherapeutic session: unique equine attributes, opportunities for metaphorical learning, and relational aspects. The participants demonstrated a consensus in the belief that EAP can be beneficial to a large spectrum of psychotherapeutic populations in South Africa. A recommendation for future research is for larger, international studies that explore the viewpoints of psychotherapists who practice equine therapies in other countries in order to expand the knowledge base and address the competency and standards discussion in the EAP field. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The importance of stress management is emphasized throughout this study as well as the need to cater stress management programmes to the unique needs of individuals. The possibility of introducing an animal-assisted stress management programme into the work environment is explored by means of a qualitative study in order to test out the feasibility of such an intervention. The positive physical and psychological effects animals have on humans has been extensively researched and reported. Eleven participants were randomly chosen from within the same department by means of purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were held with each participant and thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interviews. Various themes were identified and explored with the most prominent highlighting the need for privacy, respect and connection. Although animals do have positive effects on some employees, there are individual differences that need to be considered. An electronic animal-assisted stress management intervention is recommended. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

No description available.

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Practical Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and equine-assisted therapy/learning (EAT/L) are innovative techniques in counselling, psychotherapy, mental health, coaching, and other personal growth interventions. Although this field has experienced tremendous growth in the United States, very little is known about its Canadian equivalent. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the current state of AAT and EAT/L in Canada, by conducting a national, bilingual (English and French) survey of helping professionals who involve animals in their practices. A total of 131 questionnaires were retained for analysis. The results of this study suggest that the field is very diverse, with a multitude of confusing terms and expressions, varying levels of education and training, and disagreement on how different practices are defined, resulting in a fragmented, confusing and inconsistent appearance. Recommendations for the evolution of the field and suggestions for future research are provided.

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and equine-assisted therapy/learning (EAT/L) are innovative techniques in counselling, psychotherapy, mental health, coaching, and other personal growth interventions. Although this field has experienced tremendous growth in the United States, very little is known about its Canadian equivalent. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the current state of AAT and EAT/L in Canada, by conducting a national, bilingual (English and French) survey of helping professionals who involve animals in their practices. A total of 131 questionnaires were retained for analysis. The results of this study suggest that the field is very diverse, with a multitude of confusing terms and expressions, varying levels of education and training, and disagreement on how different practices are defined, resulting in a fragmented, confusing and inconsistent appearance. Recommendations for the evolution of the field and suggestions for future research are provided.