I Sverige är demens den fjärde största sjukdomen och i världen förväntas nästan en fördubbling av incidensen ske till år 2030. Det är därför viktigt att finna alter-nativa, kostnadseffektiva behandlingsformer som är effektiva på denna specifika grupp. Syftet med studien var att undersöka djurs hälsofrämjande effekter i vården av individer med diagnosen Alzheimers eller annan demenssjukdom. En litteratur-studie gjordes där tio artiklar redovisas i resultatet. Djur inom Alzheimers- och demensvården visar på positiva effekter i form av minskad agitation och oro, ökad verbal förmåga, ökad kroppskontakt och kontaktsökande samt förbättrad nutrition hos dessa individer. Slutsatsen är att djur kan vara ett effektivt komplement i om-vårdnaden av individer med Alzheimers eller annan demenssjukdom. / In Sweden dementia is the fourth most common disease and in the world the numbers are expected to be twice as high in the year of 2030. Therefore it is im-portant to find alternative, cost-effective forms of treatments that are effective on this specific group. The aim of the study was to examine the health effects of ani-mals in the care of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other re-lated diseases. A literature review including ten articles in the result was made. Animals in Alzheimer’s and dementia care indicate positive effects such as de-creased agitation and anxiety, increased verbalizations, increase in tactile contact and seeking for contact and improved nutrition among these individuals. The con-clusion is that animals can serve as an effective complement in the care of indi-viduals with Alzheimer’s disease or other related diseases.

Hambert, M. Degree project in social work. Malmö University: Faculty of health and society, Department of social work, 2014.Equine assisted therapy is for many a yet unknown form of rehabilitation. In the current situation there is a lack of documented research on horses' involvement in rehabilitation and social work. Studies show that animals, and especially horses, can have a positive impact on human well-being, both physically and mentally. The focus of this study is to investigate whether equine assisted therapy can be used as a health-promotion rehabilitation method for people suffering from anxiety-related disorders such as depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, eating disorders and anxiety. My aim with this study was to investigate whether rehabilitation method with horses could result in improved mental health. I used semi-structured interviews of certificated therapists who work with equine assisted therapy. I also made a minor literature study to find out what previous research said on the subject. The results of this studies show, among other things, that horses with theirsspecific properties are suitable for use in rehabilitation. Horses can bring calm and harmony to the rehabilitation; show the reflection of a person's inner thoughts and emotions, promote social relationships as well as increase self-confidence etc. The study's results imply that equine assisted therapy is a well-functioning rehabilitation project for people affected by mental illness caused by anxiety-related disorders.

This investigation studied the impact of registered therapy dogs assigned to students in order to improve reading skills. The purpose of this study was to determine if children assigned to registered therapy dogs improve significantly in reading achievement and related school performance such as attendance and discipline when compared to students of similar characteristics not assigned to registered therapy dogs. Specifically, the study used data to ascertain whether students assigned to registered therapy dogs improved their reading skills and if these students demonstrated more or less growth than students of similar characteristics not assigned to registered therapy dogs. This study analyzed data from the Canine Assisted Reading Education (C.A.R.E. to Read) program, data collected from the teacher responses to the C.A.R.E. to Read Teacher Questionnaire, and data provided by Brevard Public School District. Repeated measures analyses and descriptive statistics clearly revealed that students assigned to registered therapy dogs demonstrated more reading growth than their peers who were not assigned to registered therapy dogs. Additionally, students assigned to the registered therapy dogs had a more positive attitude toward schoolwork, were more willing to participate in classroom activities, were more successful with higher level thinking skills, and were more self-confident after being assigned to the registered therapy dogs. Recommendations were made to address teacher training concerning classroom environment, higher level thinking skills, and identifying hesitant and resistant learners. Recommendations also were made for additional research on other uses for registered therapy dogs in the educational setting.

Bakgrund: Hundar inom vården har använts under lång tid då de ansetts ha en positiv påverkan på människan. Demens är en sjukdom som väntas öka när allt fler människor lever till en högre ålder. Personer som lever med en demenssjukdom har ökad risk att drabbas av Beteendemässiga och Psykiska Symtom vid Demens (BPSD) som exempelvis depression, ångest och aggressivitet. Detta kan leda till att personer som lever med en demenssjukdom kan få en minskad livskvalitet. Därför är det betydelsefullt att hitta icke farmakologisk behandling som kan öka livskvaliteten hos dessa individer. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att utforska vårdhundens påverkan på livskvaliteten för personer som lever med demenssjukdom och/eller kognitiv svikt.   Metod: En litteraturstudie av 12 kvantitativa originalartiklar från databasen PubMed.   Resultat: Tre grupper identifierades: ökning av positiva känslor, minskning av negativa känslor och sociala effekter. I resultatet framgick att efter intervention med vårdhundar minskade negativa känslor som exempelvis depression, ångest och ensamhet hos deltagarna. De fick istället en ökning av nöje, njutning och kognition samt en förbättring av både balans och gång. Något annat som ökade var kommunikationen hos deltagarna och deltagandet i sociala interaktioner. Det framgick även att i studierna som mätte livskvaliteten hos deltagarna att livskvaliteten ökade hos de flesta deltagarna efter kontakten med vårdhundarna.    Slutsats: Närvaron av vårdhundar har en positiv inverkan på personer med demens och/eller kognitiv svikt. Det behövs mer forskning på området men resultaten indikerar att vårdhundar kan ha en positiv effekt för individen.

Bakgrund: Djurintervention är ett samlingsbegrepp för när djur används i människans tjänst. Kognitiv sjukdom är en irreversibel progressiv sjukdom. Förlusten av förmågor och självständighet, orsakar lidande för personen med kognitiv sjukdom vilket skapar ett stort behov av icke-farmakologiska behandlingsalternativ. Teoretiska ramen för aktuell litteraturöversikt är Erikssons perspektiv på vårdande.  Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka effekter av djurintervention som hälsofrämjande åtgärd för personer med kognitiv sjukdom. Metod: Studien har en deskriptiv design med kvantitativ induktiv ansats och gjorts i form av allmän litteraturöversikt. Litteratursökning genomfördes i PubMed och CINAHL. Kvalitetsgranskning utfördes utifrån granskningsmallar av Forsberg och Wengström.  Resultat: Totalt 22 artiklar inkluderades i den allmänna litteraturöversikten. Signifikant effekt av djurintervention på BPSD påvisades i 3/6 studier och i de som undersökte effekterna på agitation påvisades signifikant effekt i 2/5 studier. Det var 7/12 studier som påvisade signifikant effekt över minskade depressiva symtom. Gällande fysiska förmågor var det 2/2 studier som visade signifikant effekt avseende balans, 1/2 på fysiska aktivitet och 0/1 på gångförmåga samt 2/5 studier som påvisade signifikant effekt på ADL. Signifikant effekt avseende livskvalité påvisades i 5/7 studier. Inom engagemang och kommunikation var det 2/3 studier som påvisade signifikant effekt.  Slutsats: Djurintervention som hälsofrämjande åtgärd för personer med kognitiv sjukdom visade sig utifrån de 22 studieartiklarna ha bäst effekt avseende livskvalité, fysiska förmågor avseende balans, depressiva symptom samt engagemang och kommunikation. Inom resterande områden var resultatet varierat. Således behövs vidare forskning för att belägga signifikanta orsakssamband. / Background: Animal-assisted intervention is a collective term for when animals are used for the benefit of humans. Dementia is an irreversible progressive disease. The loss of abilities and independence causes suffering for the persons with cognitive disease which creates a great need for non-pharmacological therapy alternatives. The theoretical model for the current general review is Eriksson’s perspective on caring.Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the health promotion effects of animal assisted intervention on people with dementia.Method: The study has a descriptive design with a quantitative inductive approach and is made in the form of a general review. The search for literature was done in PubMed and CINAHL. The quality was reviewed by using the checklist from Forsberg and Wengström. Result: A total of 22 articles were included in this general review. Significant effect of animal intervention on BPSD was demonstrated in 3/6 studies and in those examining effects of agitation 2/5 studies could show significant effects. There were 7/12 studies that demonstrated a significant effect on reduced depressive symptoms. Regarding physical abilities, there were 2/2 studies that showed a significant effect regarding balance, 1/2 on physical activity and 0/1 on walking ability, and 2/5 studies that showed a significant effect on ADL. Significant effect regarding quality of life was demonstrated in 5/7 studies. Within commitment and communication, 2/3 of the studies demonstrated a significant effect. Conclusion: Based on the 22 study articles, animal intervention as a health-promotion for people with dementia was shown to have the best effect regarding quality of life, physical abilities regarding balance, depressive symptoms as well as commitment and communication. In the remaining areas, the results were varied. Thus, further research is needed to prove significant causal relationships.

Recently, psychedelic science (PS) has been going through a resurge with a vast increase in publications. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) is demonstrating promising results across the treatment of various psychiatric disorders; however, psychedelic science remains absent from the curriculum of both medical and psychology students in Sweden. This study examined medical students' attitudes towards PS, comparing them with psychology students' attitudes, which were previously investigated. The medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards psychedelic science and its therapeutic potential were analysed using a cross-sectional survey study design. Data from psychology students were collected in the spring of 2023, while data from medical students were collected in the fall of 2023. Both datasets were based on a digital survey, Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire, APQ. Multiple Mann-Whitney U tests and a chi-square test were performed across the two groups. n = 316 psychology students and n = 709 medical students answered the survey. Psychology students held more positive attitudes, rated themself as more knowledgeable and followed new findings about psychedelic science to a higher degree compared to medical students. There were no differences between the groups concerning the interests in learning about psychedelics as part of their curriculum, nor the current amount of education in PS they have received. Students who have used psychedelics themselves for recreational purposes held more positive attitudes compared to non-users. This study revealed an unmet request for education about PS from students. We argue this lack of education in PS may delay a future potential implementation of PAT in Sweden.

Bakgrund: Redan på 1790-talet visades positiva interaktioner med djur ge fördelar för människor. Djur har funnits vid människans sida sedan tusen år tillbaka och under de senaste 50 åren har implementeringen av djurassisterad terapi ökat. Omvårdnadsgrundaren Florence Nightingale talade tidigt om vikten av djurens närvaro inom vården för att underlätta behandlingsprocessen. Tidigare studier indikerar att vidare forskning behövs gällande undersökning av effekterna som djurassisterad terapi har på människans hälsa och välbefinnande.Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva och sammanställa patienters mätbara och erfarna effekt på välbefinnande av djurassisterad terapi inom barnsjukvård.  Metod: En beskrivande litteraturstudie sammanställd från 11 vetenskapliga artiklar. Sju kvantitativa, två mixade och två kvalitativa artiklar.  Huvudresultat: Hundassisterad terapi ökade välbefinnande och påverkade barnens sjukhusvistelse positivt. Terapihundbesöken minskade barnens stress, ångest, irritation, depression och smärta. Barnens känslohantering underlättades och kommunikation samt social interaktion förbättrades av terapiformen enligt föräldrar och vårdpersonal.  Slutsats: Barn uppvisade uppmätta psykologiska, fysiologiska och sociala effekter av hundassisterad terapi som ökade deras välbefinnande samt påverkade deras sjukhusvistelse positivt. Erfarenheter visar att terapiformen uppskattas av både barn, föräldrar och vårdpersonal. Barnet fokuserade och distraherades av terapihunden vilket underlättade behandlingar och minskade komplikationer. Resultatet visar att hundterapi är en gynnsam terapimetod. / Background: As early as the 1790s, positive interactions with animals were shown to bring benefits to humans. Animals have been by man's side for thousands of years, and in the last 50 years, the implementation of animal-assisted therapy has increased. Nursing founder Florence Nightingale spoke early on about the importance of the presence of animals in nursing to facilitate the treatment process. Previous studies indicate that further research is needed regarding the investigation of the effects that animal-assisted therapy has on human health and well-being.Aim: The aim of the study was to describe and compile patients measurable and experienced effect on well-being of animal-assisted therapy in pediatric healthcare.  Methods: A descriptive literature study compiled from 11 scientific articles. Seven quantitative articles, two mixed-methods and two qualitative methods.  Main results: Dog-assisted therapy increased well-being and positively affected the children's hospital stay. The therapy dog ​​visits reduced the children's stress, anxiety, irritation, depression and pain. The children's emotional management was facilitated and communication and social interaction were improved by the form of therapy, according to parents and healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Children showed measured psychological, physiological and social effects of dog-assisted therapy that increased their well-being and positively affected their hospital stay. Experience shows that the form of therapy is appreciated by both children, parents and healthcare professionals. The child was focused and distracted by the therapy dog, which facilitated treatments and reduced complications. The results show that dog-therapy is a beneficial therapy method.

With overdose deaths and residential addiction treatment admittance increasing, more treatment options are necessary to meet the demand of services. Equine assisted psychotherapy and learning (EAPL) is a relatively new therapeutic tool in addiction treatment for individuals battling substance use disorder (SUD), and thus, lacks a solid evidence base to be implemented consistently and effectively. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effectiveness of EAPL in creating an emotionally safe environment for learning for college-age young adults with a particular focus on those struggling with SUD. This was accomplished in a series of projects focused on: 1) implementing evaluation methodology for tracking emotional safety and learning in young adults participating in equine interaction activities without therapeutic intentions, 2) determining the relationship between physiological responses and emotional safety and learning in young adults participating in outpatient EAPL programming for SUD, and 3) evaluating the treatment outcomes associated with emotional safety and learning for young adults with SUD participating in EAPL at a residential treatment facility. Each project utilized the same three evaluations for evaluating emotional safety and learning: 1) emotional safety evaluation, 2) equine knowledge exam, and 3) physical skills evaluation. In each of the studies, a correlation was found between emotional safety and equine knowledge and handling skills for college-age young adults, however, equine interaction with therapeutic intentions revealed a stronger correlation indicating it is not just the horse that provides the mental health benefits. An emotionally safe environment for learning, was established for college-age young adults within a residential treatment facility, this was not dependent on the length of stay or level of participation suggesting this is an efficient therapeutic option for SUD for this population. Emotional safety for the college-age young adults participating in EAPL was correlated to vital sign measurements, but vital sign measurements of young adults were independent of the vital signs of the therapy horse. Each of the three projects provided vital information filling the gap of knowledge surrounding EAPL as an effective clinical intervention strategy for SUD in college-age young adults and created a basis for further research using more objective measures.

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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