Camie A. Tomlinson, Jennifer L. Murphy, Joanne M. Williams, R. Hawkins, Angela Matijczak, Jennifer W. Applebaum, S. McDonald
Human-animal interaction (HAI) is associated with positive psychological adjustment. Although these benefits are hypothesized to be most pronounced for individuals who experience adversity and compromised social relationships, such as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual/gender minority identities) individuals, this hypothesis has not been tested. The current, cross-sectional study examined whether the strength of the relationship between emotional comfort from companion animals and self-esteem and personal hardiness varies as a function of exposure to LGBTQ+ interpersonal stressors (i.e., victimization, microaggressions). Our sample included 155 LGBTQ+ emerging adults who lived with a dog and/or cat in the past year (Mage = 19.34 years, SD = 1.12 years). To test the hypothesis, we conducted simple and multiple moderation analyses. We found evidence that the magnitude of the association between comfort from companion animals and personal hardiness was greater for those who experienced high levels of interpersonal microaggressions. Similarly, victimization moderated the relation between comfort from companion animals and self-esteem. Including victimization and interpersonal microaggressions in the same model resulted in only one significant interaction effect: the relation between comfort from companion animals and self-esteem was positive at high levels of victimization and negative at low levels of victimization. Our results suggest that among LGBTQ+ emerging adults, the benefits of HAI on self-esteem were only present when high levels of victimization were reported. Future research should continue to examine factors that may influence the benefits and risks associated with HAI to identify for whom and under what circumstances HAI is beneficial.
{"title":"Testing the moderating role of victimization and microaggressions on the relationship between human-animal interaction and psychological adjustment among LGBTQ+ emerging adults","authors":"Camie A. Tomlinson, Jennifer L. Murphy, Joanne M. Williams, R. Hawkins, Angela Matijczak, Jennifer W. Applebaum, S. McDonald","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0015","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Human-animal interaction (HAI) is associated with positive psychological adjustment. Although these benefits are hypothesized to be most pronounced for individuals who experience adversity and compromised social relationships, such as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual/gender minority identities) individuals, this hypothesis has not been tested. The current, cross-sectional study examined whether the strength of the relationship between emotional comfort from companion animals and self-esteem and personal hardiness varies as a function of exposure to LGBTQ+ interpersonal stressors (i.e., victimization, microaggressions). Our sample included 155 LGBTQ+ emerging adults who lived with a dog and/or cat in the past year (Mage = 19.34 years,\u0000 SD\u0000 = 1.12 years). To test the hypothesis, we conducted simple and multiple moderation analyses. We found evidence that the magnitude of the association between comfort from companion animals and personal hardiness was greater for those who experienced high levels of interpersonal microaggressions. Similarly, victimization moderated the relation between comfort from companion animals and self-esteem. Including victimization and interpersonal microaggressions in the same model resulted in only one significant interaction effect: the relation between comfort from companion animals and self-esteem was positive at high levels of victimization and negative at low levels of victimization. Our results suggest that among LGBTQ+ emerging adults, the benefits of HAI on self-esteem were only present when high levels of victimization were reported. Future research should continue to examine factors that may influence the benefits and risks associated with HAI to identify for whom and under what circumstances HAI is beneficial.\u0000","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91134503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Claudia Suárez-Yera, Jorge L. Ordóñez-Carrasco, María Sánchez-Castelló, A. R. Rojas Tejada
This study analyzes the psychometric properties of a Spanish adaptation of two of the most widely used instruments for the measurement of the general attitudes toward animals: Animal Attitude Scale (AAS; there are three versions of 20, 10, and 5 items) and Speciesism Scale (SS). The Spanish adaptation of both scales followed the guidelines of the International Tests Commission and was administered to a sample of 470 participants. The purpose was to estimate the reliability and provide evidence of validity based on the internal structure of the tests and based on the relationship with other variables (type of diet). The estimated reliability revealed good scores, except for the 5 items version of the AAS. For the AAS-10 and SS, the factorial structure agreed with the author’s proposal, but not for the 20 and 5 items version of the AAS. Validity analysis showed favorable evidence in the expected direction. The Spanish adaptation of SS and AAS (for tree versions) shows good psychometric properties. The results pointed out a better performance in the 10 items version of the AAS based on test length and psychometric properties (reliability and validity).
{"title":"Spanish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Animal Attitude Scale and the Speciesism Scale","authors":"Claudia Suárez-Yera, Jorge L. Ordóñez-Carrasco, María Sánchez-Castelló, A. R. Rojas Tejada","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 This study analyzes the psychometric properties of a Spanish adaptation of two of the most widely used instruments for the measurement of the general attitudes toward animals:\u0000 Animal Attitude Scale\u0000 (AAS; there are three versions of 20, 10, and 5 items) and\u0000 Speciesism Scale\u0000 (SS). The Spanish adaptation of both scales followed the guidelines of the\u0000 International Tests Commission\u0000 and was administered to a sample of 470 participants. The purpose was to estimate the reliability and provide evidence of validity based on the internal structure of the tests and based on the relationship with other variables (type of diet). The estimated reliability revealed good scores, except for the 5 items version of the AAS. For the AAS-10 and SS, the factorial structure agreed with the author’s proposal, but not for the 20 and 5 items version of the AAS. Validity analysis showed favorable evidence in the expected direction. The Spanish adaptation of SS and AAS (for tree versions) shows good psychometric properties. The results pointed out a better performance in the 10 items version of the AAS based on test length and psychometric properties (reliability and validity).\u0000","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72763122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite the increasing popularity of canine-assisted interventions (CAIs) across a variety of contexts, and the demonstrated efficacy they have on stress reduction, there is a paucity of research exploring the implementation of such programs within the context of law enforcement. Policing is known to be an environment in which personnel experience elevated occupational stress. As stress can compromise the overall well-being of law-enforcement personnel and their ability to serve the public, it is important to understand how CAIs involving therapy dog visitation are experienced by the very individuals for whom they are intended to help. This qualitative study explored Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members’ experiences of stress within a detachment and their perceptions of a CAI integrated within their workplace to support their well-being. Eight RCMP members (75% female, Mage = 49.21, SD = 6.12) from an urban RCMP detachment situated in the downtown core of a small city were interviewed. The interview focused on topics including members’ experiences of stress within the workplace, their perceptions of the effects of stress, resources and sources of support, and their experiences participating in a weekly CAI within their detachment. Results indicated that organizational stressors were identified more often than operational stressors; that members most commonly reported that stress rendered them more irritable and impacted their sleep, and that the most commonly reported coping mechanism and resource are exercise and medical services, respectively. In discussing the CAI, participants were overwhelmingly positive in their experiences of the program, and demonstrated support for having CAIs within the detachment setting. Discussion of the impact of the sessions demonstrated that participants found that the program served as a break from work, relieved their stress, improved their mood, and helped them to change perspectives. Participants also identified the role of the dogs within the program, which included their role as a social being. The findings from the current study contribute to better understanding of the lived experiences of stress within RCMP members and of CAIs within an applied setting.
{"title":"Therapy dogs, stress-reduction, and well-being within the detachment: Interviews with law-enforcement personnel","authors":"Freya L. L. Green, J. Binfet","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0018","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Despite the increasing popularity of canine-assisted interventions (CAIs) across a variety of contexts, and the demonstrated efficacy they have on stress reduction, there is a paucity of research exploring the implementation of such programs within the context of law enforcement. Policing is known to be an environment in which personnel experience elevated occupational stress. As stress can compromise the overall well-being of law-enforcement personnel and their ability to serve the public, it is important to understand how CAIs involving therapy dog visitation are experienced by the very individuals for whom they are intended to help. This qualitative study explored Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members’ experiences of stress within a detachment and their perceptions of a CAI integrated within their workplace to support their well-being. Eight RCMP members (75% female, Mage = 49.21,\u0000 SD\u0000 = 6.12) from an urban RCMP detachment situated in the downtown core of a small city were interviewed. The interview focused on topics including members’ experiences of stress within the workplace, their perceptions of the effects of stress, resources and sources of support, and their experiences participating in a weekly CAI within their detachment. Results indicated that organizational stressors were identified more often than operational stressors; that members most commonly reported that stress rendered them more irritable and impacted their sleep, and that the most commonly reported coping mechanism and resource are exercise and medical services, respectively. In discussing the CAI, participants were overwhelmingly positive in their experiences of the program, and demonstrated support for having CAIs within the detachment setting. Discussion of the impact of the sessions demonstrated that participants found that the program served as a break from work, relieved their stress, improved their mood, and helped them to change perspectives. Participants also identified the role of the dogs within the program, which included their role as a social being. The findings from the current study contribute to better understanding of the lived experiences of stress within RCMP members and of CAIs within an applied setting.\u0000","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82394887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Besides inconsistent evidence relating to the mental health benefits of pet ownership, there is a specific lack of data in relation to cat ownership. Research in this field frequently fails to consider the effect of specific cat-human relationships or activities that might impact owner well-being. This study aimed to identify and address this gap by examining the activities associated with owning a cat that were perceived by owners to impact on their well-being. Twenty cat owners (18 to 74 years old) were interviewed remotely, and their audio transcripts thematically analysed. 67 activities were reported by cat owners to cause changes in their hedonic or eudaimonic well-being or life satisfaction. Most activities were reported to improve well-being, for example, “providing for the cat” increased feelings of enjoyment and enhanced owner’s reported purpose in life. However, some activities were predominantly associated with negative outcomes, such as veterinary visits and cat behaviour problems. This study presents an operationally-defined framework that lays the groundwork for further research in the field of human-cat interaction and human well-being. It highlights the importance of focusing on specific activities associated with cat ownership, rather than just assessing “ownership” per se, as if it is a homogenous phenomenon.
{"title":"Cat-human related activities associated with human well-being","authors":"Samantha J. Ravenscroft, A. Barcelos, D. Mills","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0006","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Besides inconsistent evidence relating to the mental health benefits of pet ownership, there is a specific lack of data in relation to cat ownership. Research in this field frequently fails to consider the effect of specific cat-human relationships or activities that might impact owner well-being. This study aimed to identify and address this gap by examining the activities associated with owning a cat that were perceived by owners to impact on their well-being. Twenty cat owners (18 to 74 years old) were interviewed remotely, and their audio transcripts thematically analysed. 67 activities were reported by cat owners to cause changes in their hedonic or eudaimonic well-being or life satisfaction. Most activities were reported to improve well-being, for example, “providing for the cat” increased feelings of enjoyment and enhanced owner’s reported purpose in life. However, some activities were predominantly associated with negative outcomes, such as veterinary visits and cat behaviour problems. This study presents an operationally-defined framework that lays the groundwork for further research in the field of human-cat interaction and human well-being. It highlights the importance of focusing on specific activities associated with cat ownership, rather than just assessing “ownership” per se, as if it is a homogenous phenomenon.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"114 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79595045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Fournier, Elizabeth A. Letson, T. D. Berry, Jennifer Laitala, Lauren Proels, Kelli Kavanaugh
This research introduces the anodyne-agent model as a framework for conceptualizing the animal’s role in animal-assisted interventions. The model suggests animals assist interventions aimed at human health and well-being by (a) enhancing positive emotion and decreasing negative emotion, and/or (b) serving as agents in the therapeutic process. An experiment is described to demonstrate the anodyne-agent model. This investigation engaged 45 women and men in a between-groups, posttest-only experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., a horse, a dog, or a no-animal control condition). Dependent measures included quantity of human-animal interaction measured with the Human-Animal Interaction Scale, positive and negative emotion measured with the Modified Dimensional Emotions Scale, and psychosocial learning measured via participant qualitative report. Results showed positive emotion was higher following sessions with an animal and correlated with quantity of human-animal interaction. Psychosocial learning differed by condition and was also associated with human-animal interaction. Findings illustrate the utility of the anodyne-agent model. Replication with larger, more diverse samples is warranted.
{"title":"The Anodyne-Agent Model: A Framework for Conceptualizing the Animal’s Role in Animal-Assisted Intervention","authors":"A. Fournier, Elizabeth A. Letson, T. D. Berry, Jennifer Laitala, Lauren Proels, Kelli Kavanaugh","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0021","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This research introduces the anodyne-agent model as a framework for conceptualizing the animal’s role in animal-assisted interventions. The model suggests animals assist interventions aimed at human health and well-being by (a) enhancing positive emotion and decreasing negative emotion, and/or (b) serving as agents in the therapeutic process. An experiment is described to demonstrate the anodyne-agent model. This investigation engaged 45 women and men in a between-groups, posttest-only experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., a horse, a dog, or a no-animal control condition). Dependent measures included quantity of human-animal interaction measured with the Human-Animal Interaction Scale, positive and negative emotion measured with the Modified Dimensional Emotions Scale, and psychosocial learning measured via participant qualitative report. Results showed positive emotion was higher following sessions with an animal and correlated with quantity of human-animal interaction. Psychosocial learning differed by condition and was also associated with human-animal interaction. Findings illustrate the utility of the anodyne-agent model. Replication with larger, more diverse samples is warranted.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"82 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85549715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emotional Support Animals: Important Considerations for Mental Health Providers","authors":"B. King, Amy Johnson, Leslie Stewart","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"177 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79886112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chris McFalls-Steger, David Patterson, Phyllis L. Thompson
Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have become widespread, with programs targeting various populations and mental health conditions. Despite its popularity, AAI’s operational definition and its efficacy are unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the utility of AAIs in decreasing depressive symptoms in adults based upon results of empirically validated depression assessment scales used by researchers. A systematic published literature search was conducted using Web of Science, PsychInfo, PubMed, ProQuest, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Social Work Abstracts, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Peer-reviewed research articles on the effectiveness of AAIs on depressive symptoms in adults using empirically validated depression scales published from 2010 through October 2020 were chosen for this systematic review. Search results were filtered to include only quantitative, peer-reviewed articles for adults 18 and over; those were reviewed, and only journal articles using an empirically established depression evaluation tool were chosen. A total of 10 quantitative articles met these inclusion criteria. Overall, research design quality was low, but AAI had a statistically significant effect on outcomes in most studies. Results are moderately favorable but more thorough, standardized, and controlled research is needed.
动物辅助干预(AAIs)已经变得广泛，针对不同人群和心理健康状况的项目。尽管它很受欢迎，但AAI的操作定义和功效尚不清楚。本系统综述旨在根据研究人员使用的经实证验证的抑郁评估量表的结果，评估AAIs在减轻成人抑郁症状方面的效用。使用Web of Science、PsychInfo、PubMed、ProQuest、SCOPUS、CINAHL、Social Work Abstracts、Web of Science和Google Scholar进行系统的已发表文献检索。本系统综述选择了2010年至2020年10月发表的同行评议的研究文章，这些文章使用经实证验证的抑郁量表，探讨了AAIs对成人抑郁症状的有效性。搜索结果经过过滤，只包括针对18岁及以上成年人的定量的、同行评审的文章;我们对这些文章进行了回顾，只选择了使用经验性抑郁评估工具的期刊文章。共有10篇定量文章符合这些纳入标准。总体而言，研究设计质量较低，但在大多数研究中，AAI对结果有统计学显著影响。结果一般有利，但需要更彻底、标准化和对照的研究。
{"title":"Effectiveness of Animal-assisted Interventions (AAIs) in Treatment of Adults with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review","authors":"Chris McFalls-Steger, David Patterson, Phyllis L. Thompson","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have become widespread, with programs targeting various populations and mental health conditions. Despite its popularity, AAI’s operational definition and its efficacy are unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the utility of AAIs in decreasing depressive symptoms in adults based upon results of empirically validated depression assessment scales used by researchers. A systematic published literature search was conducted using Web of Science, PsychInfo, PubMed, ProQuest, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Social Work Abstracts, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Peer-reviewed research articles on the effectiveness of AAIs on depressive symptoms in adults using empirically validated depression scales published from 2010 through October 2020 were chosen for this systematic review. Search results were filtered to include only quantitative, peer-reviewed articles for adults 18 and over; those were reviewed, and only journal articles using an empirically established depression evaluation tool were chosen. A total of 10 quantitative articles met these inclusion criteria. Overall, research design quality was low, but AAI had a statistically significant effect on outcomes in most studies. Results are moderately favorable but more thorough, standardized, and controlled research is needed.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"2007 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78883664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Animals in the care of shelters and rescues frequently have health and behavioral challenges that must be addressed before they can be adopted. Volunteer foster providers perform an important service by bringing vulnerable animals into their homes to address their needs therefore making them better prepared for successful adoption. Despite their critical role in animal rescue, the experiences of volunteer foster providers have not been examined systematically. Given the difficulty recruiting and retaining these volunteers and the potential for them to experience negative outcomes such as compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress caused by performing care work with rescued animals, such research is necessary. Current and former foster providers (N = 85) completed an online survey of their perceptions of the positives and negatives of the experience and measures of psychological outcomes of care work. The findings show that fostering rescued dogs comes with a mix of positive and negative experiences. Further, the findings suggest the importance for rescues of being aware of the risk factors associated with compassion fatigue and protective factors predicting compassion satisfaction.
{"title":"Fostering Rescued Dogs: An Exploratory Study of the Experiences of Foster Care Providers","authors":"Tamara Daily","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Animals in the care of shelters and rescues frequently have health and behavioral challenges that must be addressed before they can be adopted. Volunteer foster providers perform an important service by bringing vulnerable animals into their homes to address their needs therefore making them better prepared for successful adoption. Despite their critical role in animal rescue, the experiences of volunteer foster providers have not been examined systematically. Given the difficulty recruiting and retaining these volunteers and the potential for them to experience negative outcomes such as compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress caused by performing care work with rescued animals, such research is necessary. Current and former foster providers (N = 85) completed an online survey of their perceptions of the positives and negatives of the experience and measures of psychological outcomes of care work. The findings show that fostering rescued dogs comes with a mix of positive and negative experiences. Further, the findings suggest the importance for rescues of being aware of the risk factors associated with compassion fatigue and protective factors predicting compassion satisfaction.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"8 10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79851950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Evidence suggests that cognitive assessments can evoke feelings of stress for some children, potentially inhibiting cognitive performance and undermining the validity of results. Dogs have been found to be an unobtrusive form of social support for children in other settings, potentially offering a solution to this problem. The aim of this paper was to critically review the literature to explore what effect, if any, dogs may have on children’s performance on cognitive tests, and consider implications for clinical practice. To do so, five databases were systematically searched and returns were screened for eligibility. Studies were collectively described and then appraised using a common appraisal framework. Nine studies exploring the relationship between dogs and cognitive functioning in children (≤18 years) were identified in the literature search. All used an experimental methodology and were of good to fair quality. Together, results indicated that the presence of a dog could reduce stress and enhance cognitive performance across various domains, lending experimental evidence to support the idea that dogs may support children undergoing cognitive assessments. Further trials are now required to explore the generalizability of these associations to clinical settings and implications for test validity. Further implications for policy and practice are discussed.
{"title":"The influence of dogs’ presence on children’s performance on cognitive tests: Implications for clinical practice.","authors":"A. Alfrey","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0016","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Evidence suggests that cognitive assessments can evoke feelings of stress for some children, potentially inhibiting cognitive performance and undermining the validity of results. Dogs have been found to be an unobtrusive form of social support for children in other settings, potentially offering a solution to this problem. The aim of this paper was to critically review the literature to explore what effect, if any, dogs may have on children’s performance on cognitive tests, and consider implications for clinical practice. To do so, five databases were systematically searched and returns were screened for eligibility. Studies were collectively described and then appraised using a common appraisal framework. Nine studies exploring the relationship between dogs and cognitive functioning in children (≤18 years) were identified in the literature search. All used an experimental methodology and were of good to fair quality. Together, results indicated that the presence of a dog could reduce stress and enhance cognitive performance across various domains, lending experimental evidence to support the idea that dogs may support children undergoing cognitive assessments. Further trials are now required to explore the generalizability of these associations to clinical settings and implications for test validity. Further implications for policy and practice are discussed.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"165 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80405714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beth E Fields, B. Peters, T. Merritt, Shannon Meyers
Ambiguity of the incorporation of animals in services that promote health and well-being is often due to inadequate sample sizes and imprecise outcome measures necessary to detect differences in research groups. Researchers are recognizing that to transcend these concerns and truly affect population health, they must partner with communities. This paper describes guiding principles of community-academic partnerships using two different types of equine-assisted services as illustrations. These principles and illustrative examples demonstrate how researchers and communities can work together to advance science and practice.
{"title":"Advancing the Science and Practice of Equine-assisted Services through Community-Academic Partnerships","authors":"Beth E Fields, B. Peters, T. Merritt, Shannon Meyers","doi":"10.1079/hai.2021.0032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2021.0032","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Ambiguity of the incorporation of animals in services that promote health and well-being is often due to inadequate sample sizes and imprecise outcome measures necessary to detect differences in research groups. Researchers are recognizing that to transcend these concerns and truly affect population health, they must partner with communities. This paper describes guiding principles of community-academic partnerships using two different types of equine-assisted services as illustrations. These principles and illustrative examples demonstrate how researchers and communities can work together to advance science and practice.","PeriodicalId":90845,"journal":{"name":"Human-animal interaction bulletin","volume":"191 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79602754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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