Eleonora Colombo, F. Manti, Luca Milani, Daniele Bernardini
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引用次数: 3
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of nine weekly sessions of Donkey-Assisted Therapy (DAT) on the functional status of 37 adults with an intellectual disability (ID) and to analyze the moderator role of the duration of sessions on the expected positive outcomes. A new tool based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) was employed to measure functional changes in subjects undergoing DAT. The tool was administered at three different times (T0, T1, T2) by health care professionals and instructors who rated participants’ performance during DAT. Findings showed a significant improvement in the psycho-social functioning of patients undergoing DAT, especially for participants provided with longer sessions. The results of this study provide further evidence that DAT may be considered as a suitable therapeutic option for people with ID.
期刊介绍:
Society & Animals publishes studies that describe and analyze our experiences of non-human animals from the perspective of various disciplines within both the Social Sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science) and the Humanities (e.g., history, literary criticism).
The journal specifically deals with subjects such as human-animal interactions in various settings (animal cruelty, the therapeutic uses of animals), the applied uses of animals (research, education, medicine and agriculture), the use of animals in popular culture (e.g. dog-fighting, circus, animal companion, animal research), attitudes toward animals as affected by different socializing agencies and strategies, representations of animals in literature, the history of the domestication of animals, the politics of animal welfare, and the constitution of the animal rights movement.