This thesis explored the comparatively new field of experiential psychology known as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) or Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP). According to EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association), EAP is “an emerging field in which horses are used as a tool for emotional growth and learning. EAP is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, it is considered a short-term or brief approach” (EAGALA literature)︣The research presented here consists of interviewing six participants who are practising therapists within the UK and have been practising as equine therapists for at least one year. All therapists had to be qualified and belong to the BPS, BACP or UKCP.︣Grounded Theory was used as the methodology for this research. The research sought to develop a potentially emergent theory of why equine therapy is effective and focused on the development of resonance as a theory.

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an integrative review of existing literature focusing on Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), specifically canines, on human health. The reviewed articles were published between the years of 2000 to 2014, written in the English language, scholarly in nature, in peer-reviewed journals with access to full text electronic versions of the article, along with articles that provided current anecdotal information related to the effects of AAT. Search terms included the phrase, "animal assisted therapy" in the title. Results of the literature search yielded an enormous quantity of recent and innovative research on various aspects of AAT. Various animals were identified with ATT, most often canines; however, it is not uncommon to find that horses, dolphins, felines, birds, or even small mammals satisfying the same roles. Of these, for this thesis thirteen research articles were selected that dealt primarily with canines in AAT. The findings from the review for this thesis suggested that despite the large volume of available research on ATT in general, a gap in literature exists focusing on the health outcomes with specific animal species. Additionally, the research was noted to be fragmented in nature and the findings were inconsistent; thus, limiting the development of evidence based ATT interventions. Implications for nursing research, policy, education and practice are discussed, along with limitations of this integrative review.

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.

Background: The number of elderly people in Sweden is constantly increasing. Depressive symptoms like anxiety, loss of sleep, and feelings of hopelessness are common amongst elderly people. In Sweden there is a pet in every third household. Contact with animals has been seen to increase some substances in the human body, which has led to positive effects on the human being.Aim: The aim is to describe how elderly people themselves, or by others, are described to be affected by interactions with animals, and to describe the method of selection in the scientific articles.Method: To answer the aim and the formulation of questions of this literature review, a descriptive design was used. The study was based on 13 scientific articles which were found using the databases PubMed and Cinahl.Results: Interactions with animals, regardless of species, are shown to be a positive and appreciated feature in the every-day life of elderly people. Interactions with animals led to an increase in social behavior by participants seeking contact and conversing with other people, an increase in physical activity by walking and playing with the animals, a better mood with more joy, and an increase in quality of life because the participants has had company and someone who gave meaning to their every-day life. Several different methods of selection were used in the scientific articles, and purposive sample were the most commonly practiced.Conclusion: Elderly people are positively affected by interactions with animals through an increase in social behavior, an increase in physical activity, a better mood with more joy and an increase in quality of life. The writers of this study believe that Animal Assisted Therapy seems possible to implement within the healthcare system. / Bakgrund: Antalet äldre personer i Sverige ökar ständigt. Bland äldre personer är det vanligt förekommande med depressiva symtom så som oro, sömnlöshet och känslor av hopplöshet. I vart tredje hushåll i Sverige finns minst ett husdjur, och djur har setts öka olika ämnen i kroppen som ger en positiv effekt på människan.Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva hur äldre personer själva eller av andra beskrivs påverkas av att interagera med djur samt att beskriva de vetenskapliga artiklarnas urvalsmetod.Metod: För att besvara litteraturstudiens syfte och frågeställningar användes en deskriptiv design. Studien baserades på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar som söktes fram med hjälp av databaserna PubMed och Cinahl.Huvudresultat: Interaktioner med djur, oavsett art, har visats vara ett positivt och uppskattat inslag i vardagen. Interaktioner med djur ledde till ett ökat socialt beteende hos de äldre genom att deltagarna sökte kontakt och konverserade mer med andra människor, en ökad fysisk aktivitet genom promenader och lek med djuren, ett bättre humör med mer glädje samt en ökad livskvalitet genom att deltagarna haft sällskap av någon som gett deltagarna en mening med vardagen. I de vetenskapliga artiklarna har flera olika urvalsmetoder använts, den mest förekommande var ett ändamålsenligt urval.Slutsats: Äldre personer påverkas positivt av att interagera med djur genom ett ökat socialt beteende, en ökad fysisk aktivitet, ett bättre humör med mer glädje samt en ökad livskvalitet. Terapi med hjälp av djur verkar vara tillämpningsbart inom vården.

This research study examines factors that influence a social worker’s willingness to utilize animals in therapy, specifically equine assisted psychotherapy. Equine assisted psychotherapy is an experiential therapy involving horses for the treatment of mental and behavioral health issues. The study uses quantitative data. The sample population is Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) and Masters of Social Work (MSW) students attending a University in Southern California. The participants were provided an electronic self-administered survey through their University email account. The data collected was analyzed and the results were provided to the University. The results indicate a relationship between several variables, such as previously owning and/or caring for a pet and fondness of animals, however, there are likely other factors that predict the use of equine assisted therapy that were not explored in this study. The results of this study will help raise awareness about equine assisted psychotherapy and the benefits of utilizing this non-traditional treatment.

Syftet med studien var att explorativt undersöka vilken betydelse hästen har för brittiska soldater och veteraner som varit ute i krig och återvänt med någon form av ohälsa. Studiens frågeställningar var: Hur används hästen på Horseback UK  som en del i tillfrisknandet för brittiska soldater och veteraner som varit ute i krig? Hur beskriver brittiska soldater och veteraner som varit ute i krig hästens betydelse för livskvalitén? För att besvara frågeställningarna tillämpades en metod som bestod av kvalitativa intervjuer. Intervjuerna utfördes på Horseback UK i Skottland som är en välgörenhetsorganisation, skapad för att ge en trygg och säker miljö. De arbetar med hjälp av hästar för att hjälpa de som tjänstgör eller tjänstgjort i den brittiska armén och kommit tillbaka med någon form fysisk eller psykisk ohälsa. Undersökningsgruppen bestod av sju individer, fem var soldater eller veteraner och två var grundarna till organisationen. Resultatet av denna studie visar att samtliga soldater och veteraner var överens om att deras livskvalité har förbättrats efter att hästen kom in i deras liv och att den har haft en viktig betydelse för dem. Exakt hur hästen påverkar just livskvalitén går dock inte att förklara.

Research from various fields has demonstrated the benefits of human-animal interaction for physical and mental health. Recently, animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has become increasingly popular in a variety of healthcare settings--including inpatient mental health care facilities. However, there is limited research investigating the efficacy of AAT in outpatient sites. In addition, the impact of animals as an adjunct to psychotherapy treatment remains mostly uninvestigated. Therefore, it is necessary to empirically explore what therapy animals may contribute to specific treatment interventions with specific populations. The present study was a randomized control trial examining the psychological and physiological effects of adding AAT to a modified mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) for clients experiencing psychological distress, including anxious and depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that AAT would be particularly complementary to mindfulness-based interventions because the therapy dog would provide a focus for attention to the current experience and exemplify acceptance and "being," enabling the understanding and practice of the main aspects of mindfulness. Subjects (N = 21) were randomly assigned to the MBSR or MBSR + AAT group and then completed an intervention consisting of six 50-minute individual therapy sessions. Each session included didactic and experiential components modified for delivery with or without a certified therapy dog. State and trait mindfulness, state and trait anxiety, psychological distress, blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed at each session. Results indicate that all participants experienced fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms, decreased psychological distress, and increased mindfulness skills from pre- to posttreatment. Additionally, state anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate decreased within sessions. No significant difference was found between the control and experimental groups, indicating that interaction with a therapy dog had no impact on symptom reduction, skill acquisition, or client satisfaction in the current study. Future studies need to increase methodological rigor by including multiple therapist/dog teams and increasing sample size. Moreover, researchers must examine more thoroughly the role the dog might have in altering the social environment, such as reducing stigma surrounding mental health services and enhancing the therapeutic alliance.

No description available.

This quasi-experimental field study tested the psychosocial effects of a forensic human-animal interaction (HAI) program on prison inmates. The study assessed the impact of the HAI program using both between-subject and within-subject methods and analyses. A total of 54 male inmates participated in the research by completing self-report measures, keeping journals, and allowing researchers access to their institutional files. In general, it was hypothesized the HAI program would result in positive psychosocial outcomes for inmates. Dependent measures included inmate self-reported treatment level within the prison's therapeutic community, frequency of institutional infractions, and scores from self-report measures assessing social skills, inmate perception of the prison environment, optimism, mood disturbance, and HAI. Between-subject analyses compared a sample of the participants (n = 48) in a pretest-posttest repeated-measures design, comparing a Treatment group of participants in the HAI program with a Control group of participants on the waiting list for the program. Results indicated that the HAI program was associated with increased treatment progress in the therapeutic community, improvement or maintenance of social sensitivity, and improved scores on a measure of transient depressed mood. Hypotheses regarding institutional infractions, perceptions of the prison environment, and optimism were not supported. The within-subject portion of the research consisted of evaluating the relationship between daily HAI and mood with a smaller group of participants (n = 6) who completed journals in a single-subject repeated-measures fashion. Results suggested mood was differentially related to HAI for Treatment and Control group participants. Findings are discussed in relation to proximal versus distal outcomes of HAI and suggestions are made for future research. / Ph. D.