The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Educational Psychology. An empirical study of limited extent was undertaken, which was qualitative by nature and conducted from an interpretivist paradigm. I made use of a therapeutic case, which served as an in-depth case study. Visual data, creative expression, interviews, narrative expression and field notes were employed as data-gathering methods. Data were analysed by means of document analysis. A young boy of 14 years, with whom I have previously worked as a therapist, was the participant in the study. The findings of the study were, firstly that the use of AAT could enable the attainment of goals in therapy. Implementing AAT as a therapeutic tool provided motivation for participation in therapy from the participant. Secondly the use of an animal (dog) in the therapeutic process promoted the formation of a personal, caring, and emotional relationship with the primary participant. Thirdly, psychological benefits in the use of AAT were revealed by this study, namely the opportunity to promote socialisation, self-esteem, communication, interaction and participation in therapy. Fourthly AAT had a value in working with a socio-economically vulnerable child, addressing several of the needs identified in order to enhance the well-being of the child. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Psykisk ohälsa förekommer i alla åldrar och är ett växande problem. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) är en målinriktad, planlagd och strukturerad terapeutisk insats som leds eller utförs av personal inom hälso- och sjukvård, skola eller omsorg. Inom hälso- och sjukvården syftar AAT till att förbättra individens psykiska, fysiska, emotionella och kognitiva förmågor. Syfte: Att kartlägga effekter avseende ångest hos vuxna personer med psykisk ohälsa som genomgår Animal Assisted Therapy. Metod: Litteraturstudien baseras på åtta empiriska interventionsstudier med kvantitativ design. Databassökningar genomfördes i Cinahl, PubMed och PsycInfo. Analysprocessen genomfördes enligt Popenoes analysmodell. Resultat: Samtliga studier resulterade i en minskning avseende ångest. Sex av studierna visade en signifikant minskning inom gruppen som fått AAT och två studier visade en positiv effekt men utan signifikant skillnad. Två studier visade en signifikant skillnad mellan interventions- och kontrollgruppen.  Konklusion: Litteraturstudiens resultat visade att AAT kan reducera ångest hos individer med psykisk ohälsa och kan därför vara ett bra komplement i omvårdnaden hos denna patientgrupp. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att kartlägga hur effektivt AAT är jämfört med befintliga behandlingar. / Background: Mental illness occurs at all ages and is a growing problem. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a targeted, planned and structured therapeutic intervention led or performed by staff in health care, school or care. Animal Assisted Therapy aims in healthcare to improve the individual's mental, physical, emotional and cognitive abilities. Aim: To map the effects regarding anxiety in adults with mental illness who undergo Animal Assisted Therapy.  Methods: The literature review is based on eight empirical intervention studies with quantitative design. Database search was conducted in Cinahl, PubMed and PsycInfo. The analysis process was carried out according to Popenoe´s analysis model. Results: All studies resulted in decreased anxiety-levels. Six of the studies showed a significant difference within the group that received AAT and two studies showed a positive effect but without a significant difference. Two studies showed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups. Conclusion: The results of the literature study showed that AAT can reduce anxiety in individuals with mental illness and could therefore be a good complement to the care of this patient group. Further research is needed to map how effective AAT is compared to existing treatments.

No description available.

This Dissertation-in-Practice introduces a law enforcement concept-to-practice model designed by combining tested methods of organizational analysis often utilized by those in the discipline of education. The model incorporates a two phase design with the first phase focusing on implementing and evaluating innovative changes within a medium size law enforcement agency for a micro-level analysis. A second phase examines the ability to replicate the concept program on a statewide, macro-level, by incorporating a re-design method utilizing organizational resource and structure frames. The concept applied to this model was the introduction of a therapy dog interaction during investigations involving crimes against children to reduce anxiety and increase communication. The first phase concluded that the introduction of therapy dogs during law enforcement investigations had a statistical significance in the reduction of anxiety and increased disclosure rates with child victims, without interfering with judicial policies and procedures. The second phase produced a series of flexible options allowing law enforcement agencies of all types to replicate therapy dog programs that are consistent, cost effective, and sustainable. The overall results indicate the use of this concept-to-practice model was successful in examining and introducing an innovative concept that provided a significant impact in the complex organizations of the justice system.

Introduktion: I världen uppskattas mer än 55 miljoner människor leva med en demenssjukdom, vilket förväntas öka i antal i framtiden. Det finns inget botemedel, utan bromsmediciner och icke-farmakologiska åtgärder används idag som behandling. Vårdhunden skulle kunna användas för att förbättra en individs sociala, psykologiska och fysiska hälsa, men det krävs mer forskning för att bli en evidensbaserad omvårdnadsåtgärd. Syfte: Att utforska hur vårdhunden påverkar faktorer som berör livskvaliteten hos vårdtagare med demenssjukdom. Metod: Deskriptiv litteraturstudie baserat på nio vetenskapliga kvantitativa originalartiklar. De hämtades från PubMed och inkluderades efter kvalitetsgranskning. En innehållsanalys gjordes för att identifiera faktorer som påverkar livskvaliteten. Resultat: Sex faktorer som påverkar livskvaliteten identifierades. Dessa var kognitiv svikt, depression, fysisk funktion, agitation, emotionellt tillstånd och sociala interaktioner. För samtliga faktorer, förutom för agitation och emotionellt tillstånd, fann majoriteten av artiklarna att vårdhunden hade en statistiskt signifikant positiv påverkan. Ingen artikel fann en statistisk signifikant negativ effekt av vårdhunden. Slutsats: Denna litteraturöversikt visar på att vårdhunden har en positiv effekt på livskvalitet hos personer med en demenssjukdom. En sammanvägd bedömning visar att detta kan vara en omvårdnadsåtgärd av klinisk relevans som sjuksköterskan kan tillämpa. Vidare forskning behövs. / Introduction: More than 55 million people in the world are estimated to live with dementia, a  number that is expected to increase in the future. There is no cure, and the treatment today consists of drugs that reduce symptoms and non-pharmaceutical interventions. A therapy dog can be used to enhance an individual's social, psychological and physical health. However, more research is needed for this to become an evidence-based care intervention.   Aim: To explore how the therapy dog affects factors impacting the quality of life for care recipients with dementia. Method: A descriptive literature review, based on nine scientific quantitative original articles, was performed. These were found in PubMed and were included after a quality assessment. A content analysis was carried out to identify categories with factors that affect the quality of life.  Result: Six categories describing factors that affect the quality of life were identified. The categories were cognitive impairment, depression, physical function, agitation, emotional state and social interactions. For each category, with the exception of agitation and emotional state, the majority of the articles found a statistically significant positive effect of the therapy dog. No article found a statistically significant negative effect of the therapy dog. Conclusion: This literature review found that the therapy dog has a positive effect on the quality of life of care recipients with dementia. A final assessment showed the clinical relevance regarding for the nurse to use the therapy dog as a care intervention. However, further research is needed.

Bakgrund Det är allt fler äldre personer som flyttar in till och bor på särskilt boende. Bland dessa äldre personer förekommer ofrivillig ensamhet, psykisk ohälsa och kognitiva sjukdomar. Djurassisterad terapi är en målinriktad och strukturerad intervention där syftet är att personerna ska uppnå en terapeutisk effekt. Denna studie vill belysa betydelsen av terapidjur för äldre personer boendes på särskilt boende. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva vilken betydelse terapidjur har för äldre personer boendes på särskilt boende. Metod Metoden för detta arbete var en icke-systematisk litteraturöversikt som baserades på 16 stycken vetenskapliga originalartiklar med både kvalitativ och kvantitativ design. Artiklarna valdes från databaserna PubMed och CINAHL, detta med hjälp av relevanta sökord utformade efter syftet. Samtliga artiklar genomgick en kvalitetsgranskning utifrån Sophiahemmet Högskolas bedömningsunderlag för att säkerställa att dessa var av hög vetenskaplig kvalitet. Resultatet av dessa artiklar sammanställdes och analyserades med hjälp av en integrerad dataanalys. Resultat Vid sammanställningen av resultatet identifierades två stycken huvudkategorier; Terapidjur och äldre personers psykosociala hälsa och Terapidjur och äldre personers livskvalitet och fysiska hälsa. Utifrån dessa utformades även underkategorier som vidare förklarade resultatfynden. Resultatet visade att mötet med terapidjur för de äldre personerna på särskilt boende förbättrade deras psykiska och sociala hälsa, samt att det bidrog till en förbättrad livskvalitet och fysisk hälsa. Slutsats Denna icke-systematiska litteraturöversikt visade att terapidjur har en stor betydelse för äldre personer på särskilt boende. Detta sågs genom ett flertal positiva effekter på de äldres psykosociala hälsa, fysiska hälsa, välbefinnande och upplevda livskvalitet. Resultatet visar att djurassisterad terapi är en relevant behandlingsmetod för äldre personer boendes på särskilt boende och är en betydande omvårdnadsåtgärd för sjuksköterskor. / Background There are more and more older people that are moving into and living in nursing homes. Occurring amongst these older people are involuntary loneliness, mental illnesses and cognitive disorders. Animal-assisted therapy is a targeted and structured intervention where the aim is for people to achieve a therapeutic effect. This study wants to highlight the importance of therapy animals for older people living in nursing homes. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the importance of therapy animals for older people living in nursing homes. Method The method for this work was a non-systematic literature review based on 16 original scientific articles with both qualitative and quantitative design. The articles were selected from the databases PubMed and CINAHL, by using relevant keywords designed according to the purpose. All articles underwent a quality review based on Sophiahemmet University's assessment documents to ensure that these were of high scientific quality. The results of these articles were compiled and analyzed using an integrated data analysis. Results When compiling the results, two main categories could be identified; Therapy animals and older people's psychosocial health and Therapy animals and older people's quality of life and physical health. Based on these, subcategories were also designed that further explained the findings. The results showed that the meeting with therapy animals for older people in nursing homes improved their mental and social health, and that they contributed to an improved quality of life and physical health. Conclusions This non-systematic literature review showed that therapy animals have a great importance for older people in nursing homes. This was seen through several positive effects on the older people’s psychosocial health, physical health, well-being and perceived quality of life. The result shows that animal-assisted therapy is a relevant treatment method for older people living in nursing homes and is a significant nursing measure for registered nurses.

Bakgrund Psykisk ohälsa är ett vanligt problem världen över. Farmakologisk behandling är den vanligaste behandlingen vid psykisk ohälsa. Behandlingen kan ha oönskade biverkningar, vilket ökar efterfrågan på samtalsterapi och icke-farmakologiska behandlingar och omvårdnadsåtgärder. Djurassisterad terapi är en intervention och icke-farmakologisk behandling som börjat användas alltmer inom psykiatrin. Terapiformen används för att öka personer välbefinnande och bör därför uppmärksammas. Inom omvårdnad är det viktigt att sjuksköterskan har ett holistiskt perspektiv på hälsa. Djurassisterad terapi kan vara en del av det holistiska synsättet genom en alternativ behandling till att främja psykisk hälsa. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva personers erfarenheter av djurassisterad terapi vid psykisk ohälsa. Metod En icke-systematisk litteraturöversikt, med systematisk struktur. Datainsamlingen bestod av sökningar i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades utifrån ett bedömningsunderlag från Sophiahemmet högskola för vetenskaplig klassificering och kvalitet. Resultatet baserades på 17 vetenskapliga artiklar, med både kvalitativ och kvantitativ design. Integrerad dataanalys användes för att sammanställa och analysera artiklarna i resultatet. Resultat I resultatet identifierades två huvudkategorier: Personers erfarenheter av djurassisterad terapi vid psykologiska effekter och Personers erfarenheter av djurassisterad terapi vid sociala effekter. Resultatet visade på att djurassisterad terapi hade en positiv påverkan på personers välbefinnande och livskvalitet. Djurassisterad terapi bidrog till förbättrat stämningsläge, minskad stress, ångest och depression. Terapidjuren bidrog även till förbättrad kommunikationsförmåga hos personerna och egenskaper som underlättade att skapa och bibehålla relationer med andra människor. Detta gav personerna ökad trygghet och självförtroende i att interagera med andra människor. Slutsats Djurassisterad terapi kan användas inom omvårdnadsarbetet för att förbättra personers psykiska hälsa och stärka deras känsla av sammanhang. Resultatet tyder på att djurassisterad terapi har positiv påverkan på personers psykiska hälsa men denna terapiform är dock inget som passar alla människor med hänsyn till exempelvis kronisk smärta, allergi och rädsla för djur. Därför är det viktigt för sjuksköterskan att veta om denna icke-farmakologiska behandling för att erbjuda personer en alternativ och personcentrerad behandlingsform. / Background Mental health disorders affect many people worldwide. Pharmacological treatment is the most common way to treat these conditions. However, this type of treatment can have unwanted side effects, which raises the demand for psychotherapy, other nonpharmacological treatments and additional methods of care. Animal-assisted therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that has started to be used more and more within psychiatric care in order to increase a person’s well-being. This therapy form is used to improve a person’s well-being and therefore should receive more attention. In nursing, it is important that nurses have a holistic perspective on health. Animal-assisted therapy can be part of this holistic approach that utilizes alternative treatments to promote mental health. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of persons with mental health disorders who underwent animal-assisted therapy. Method This is a non-systematic literature review with a systematic structure. Data collection was conducted by using the databases PubMed and CINAHL to search for relevant articles. Their quality was reviewed based on the quality assessment guidelines from Sophiahemmet University for scientific classification and quality. The result was based on 17 scientific articles of both qualitative and quantitative design. An integrated data analysis was used for collecting and analyzing the articles in the result. Results The results of this study identified two main categories: Persons’ Experiences of Animal-Assisted Therapy and its Psychological Effects and Persons’ Experiences of Animal-Assisted Therapy and its Social Effects. The results showed that animal-assisted therapy had a positive effect on a person’s well-being and quality of life. Animal-assisted therapy contributed to improved mood and decreased stress, anxiety, and depression. Therapy animals helped the study subjects improve their communication skills, and also helped them in forming and maintaining new relationships with other people. This made subjects feel more secure and have improved self-esteem, which in turn helped when interacting with others. Conclusions Animal-assisted therapy can be used in nursing to improve a person’s mental health and reinforce their sense of coherence. The results of this study show that while animal-assisted therapy has positive effects on a person’s mental health, this type of therapy is not always best-suited for all due to such issues as chronic pain, allergies, and fear of animals. Therefore, it is important for nurses to be familiar with this non-pharmacological treatment so that they can offer patients an alternate form of person-centered treatment.

The purpose of this integrative review of the literature is to examine the effectiveness of equine assisted therapy with individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). An extensive review of the literature was conducted regarding children diagnosed with ASD who received equine therapy, equine psychotherapy, therapeutic horseback riding, or horse therapy. Inclusion criteria include articles written in the English language, articles that were peer-reviewed, and had a publication date from 2006 to present. Fourteen articles were analyzed regarding children with ASD who participated in different types of equine therapy. The majority of the studies found individuals with ASD who participated in equine therapy had improvements in behavior, social interactions, and communication with decreased stereotypical ASD behaviors. Only one article found no changes in behavior. Most of the articles had very small sample sizes that limited the generalizability of the findings. There were many different ways that the research was conducted and therefore the screening measures were completely different for all studies. Many studies did not take gender of participants into account, whether the participants were verbal or nonverbal, and other treatments the participants were receiving. Although the literature analyzed had different methodologies, the overall research suggests equine assisted therapy can be a beneficial therapy for individuals with ASD and therefore could be considered a viable treatment option. The outcomes of this integrative review supports the need for larger, randomized, controlled trials with larger samples to effectively evaluate the effects of equine therapy.

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)

Background: Animals have been shown to have a positive effect on people. The nursing science approach says that a person can experience well-being despite illness. The positive attributes of animals can be used in health care to help ill people experience well-being. An animal-assisted intervention can be a form of activity or therapy involving pets (AAA / AAT) or horses (EAT). Aim: The purpose of this study was to elucidate how animals in health care promote well-being for people with long-term illness. Methods: Literature review based on fourteen original scientific articles, with both qualitative and quantitative approach. Results: The compilation of the results led to four main categories with two subcategories respectively. These were: Physical aspects with subcategories Physical well-being and Bodily functions; Psychic aspects with subcategories Psychic well-being and Reduced psychiatric symptoms; Existential aspects with subcategories Quality of Life and Safety; Social Aspects with subcategories Social behavior and Relationships. Discussions: Review and discussion of the selected method. Discussion of the results with the selected theoretical framework: Antonovsky's theory of Sense of Coherence (SOC) and the salutogenic approach. The results were discussed based on the concepts of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness.