Efficacy of animal-assisted therapy for child poppulation: a systematic review
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic intervention that involves \ntrained and selected animals to achieve specific therapeutic objectives through the \nhuman-animal bond. The aim of this project is to consolidate the scientific evidence for \ngreater consideration of AAT and to regulate its training. The aim of this study was to \ncarry out a systematic review, between 2013-2023, using the PRISMA methodology on \nthe efficacy of AAT in the paediatric population. The searches were carried out through \nthe Pubmed and PubPsych databases, in which the following inclusion criteria were \nestablished as key words: "assisted-therapy animals" and "children", with a publication \nrange from 2013 to 2023. After a screening process, 7 articles were included from the \ninitial 54 studies. In these studies, significant improvements were found in clinical \nvariables following animal-assisted therapy: the enhancement of social skills, reduction \nof ADHD symptoms, reduction of anxiety levels and increased communication, \nattention, and participation. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate that animalassisted therapy can be effective in children and can be considered as a therapeutic \nalternative to prescribed pharmacology in neurodevelopmental disorders. However, \nthese are studies with small samples and the interventions carried out with animals lack \na clear definition. Due to the scarcity of research on this type of therapy, it would be \nnecessary to invest in more in-depth studies on this topic.
Author: Royo Sábado, Rosana
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7056143819