The role of cortisol in the association of canine-companionship with blood pressure, glucose, and lipids: a systematic review

Potential Mechanisms of Action and Outcomes of Equine-Assisted Services for Veterans with a History of Trauma: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Equine-assisted services (EASs) are being increasingly used as complementary interventions for military veterans who have experienced trauma. However, there is limited evidence of benefit for this population and almost no literature describing the desired potential outcomes and possible mechanisms of action. The aim of this article is to address these gaps by reviewing the extant literature of animal-assisted interventions in general, and equine-assisted services in particular, with the goal of providing guidance for future investigations in the field. Currently, the field is in the early stage of scientific development, but published results are promising. Interventions that enhance treatment compliance and/or outcomes could benefit this population. Preliminary results, reviewed herein, indicate that EAS interventions might benefit the military veteran population by enhancing treatment engagement and therapeutic alliance, as well as by contributing to symptom reduction and resulting in various transdiagnostic benefits. It is recommended that future studies include exploration of potential beneficial outcomes discussed herein, as well as investigate suggested mechanisms of action.

Dog-assisted interventions for adults diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders: a systematic review

Background

Many individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders experience insufficient symptom relief from currently available treatment options. Researching additional venues should be prioritized. This systematic review, designed in accordance with PRISMA, examined the effect of targeted and structured dog-assisted interventions as a supplementary treatment.

Methods

Randomized as well as non-randomized studies were included. Systematic searches were conducted in APA PsycInfo, AMED, CENTRAL, Cinahl, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and in several sources covering "gray" (unpublished) literature. In addition, forward and backward citation searches were performed. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Quality of evidence and risk of bias were assessed in accordance with GRADE and RoB2/ROBINS-I criteria.

Results

12 publications from 11 different studies met eligibility criteria. Overall, studies showed diverging results. General psychopathology, positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, self-determination, lower body strength, social function, and quality of life were among the outcome measures with significant improvement. Most documentation for significant improvement was found for positive symptoms. One study indicated significant deterioration of non-personal social behavior. The risk of bias was high or serious for most of the outcome measures. Three outcome measures were associated with some concerns regarding risk of bias, and three with low risk of bias. Quality of evidence was graded low or very low for all outcome measures.

Conclusions

The included studies indicate potential effects of dog-assisted interventions for adults diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders, mostly beneficial. Nevertheless, low number of participants, heterogeneity, and risk of bias complicate the interpretation of results. Carefully designed randomized controlled trials are needed to determine causality between interventions and treatment effects.

Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: A controlled trial

Background

There is a broad range of known effects of animal contact on human mental and physical health. Neurological correlates of human interaction with animals have been sparsely investigated. We investigated changes in frontal brain activity in the presence of and during contact with a dog.

Methods

Twenty-one healthy individuals each participated in six sessions. In three sessions, participants had contact with a dog, and in three control sessions they interacted with a plush animal. Each session had five two-minute phases with increasing intensity of contact to the dog or plush animal from the first to the fourth phase. We measured oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin and oxygen saturation of the blood in the frontal lobe/frontopolar area with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SenSmart Model X-100) to assess brain activity.

Findings

In both conditions, the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin increased significantly from the first to the fourth phase by 2.78 μmol/l (CI = 2.03–3.53, p < .001). Oxygenated hemoglobin concentration was 0.80 μmol/l higher in the dog condition compared to in the control condition (CI = 0.27–1.33, p = .004). Deoxygenated-hemoglobin concentration, total hemoglobin concentration, and oxygen saturation showed similar patterns.

Conclusion

Prefrontal brain activation in healthy subjects increased with the rise in interaction closeness with a dog or a plush animal. Moreover, interaction with a dog stimulated more brain activity compared to the control condition, suggesting that interactions with a dog can activate stronger attentional processes and elicit more emotional arousal than interacting with a nonliving stimulus.

The Efficacy of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Patients with Dual Diagnosis: Schizophrenia and Addiction

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of an animal-assisted-therapy (AAT) program in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and substance-use disorders in residential treatment in order to intervene in the remission of negative and positive symptoms and improve quality of life and adherence to treatment, favouring the clinical stabilization of patients who participate in the AAT program, within the context of a mental-illness-treatment device. This was a quasi-experimental prospective study with intersubject and intrasubject factors. The sample comprised 36 patients (21 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) who were evaluated at three time points (in the 3rd, 6th, and 10th sessions). The program lasted 3 months and consisted of 10 sessions that were implemented once a week, with a maximum participation of 10 patients per group. The participants were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia and the Life Skills Profile-20 (LSP-20) questionnaire. We observed a decrease in the positive symptoms of psychosis (F: 27.80, p = 0.001) and an improvement in functionality (F: 26.70, p < 0.001) as the sessions progressed. On the basis of these results, we concluded that AAT seems to be valid as a coadjuvant therapy as part of the rehabilitation processes of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and addiction-spectrum disorders (dual diagnosis).

Can Dog-Assisted Intervention Decrease Anxiety Level and Autonomic Agitation in Patients with Anxiety Disorders?

Few studies have explored the influence of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on patients with mental disorders. We investigated it’s impact on anxiety symptoms. We divided 51 patients with anxiety symptoms into two groups—treatment group, that went for a short 15–20 min’ walk with a dog, his handler and a researcher and control group, that went for a walk only with a researcher. We used State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of fear, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress (FIRST), Brief symptom Inventory (BSI) and VAS of satisfaction after trial to assess. We also checked the resting blood pressure and resting heart rate before and after performing psychological tests while sitting. We have obtained full data of 21 people from the research group and 26 people from the control group. After the intervention, the treatment group reported lower anxiety levels as a state (Mean (M) = 34.35; Standard Deviation (SD) = 6.9 vs. M = 40.94; SD = 8.6) and fear (M = 1.05; SD = 1.0 vs. M = 2.04; SD = 2.2) than the control group. After a walk with a dog, trait anxiety (M = 34.35; SD = 6.9 vs. M = 46.3; SD = 9.6), state anxiety (M = 48.9; SD = 7.2 vs. M = 53.9; SD = 7.8), fear (M = 1.05; SD= 1.0 vs. M = 2.57; SD = 2.3) and resting heart rate (M = 71.05; SD = 12.3 vs. M = 73.67; SD = 13.1) decreased significantly, while walking without a dog only reduced state anxiety (M = 47.24; SD = 11.0 vs. M = 40.94; SD = 8.6). Multivariate analysis of variance showed that after the walk, state anxiety was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group, F(1.35) = 6.706, p <0.05, η² = 0.161. Among those who walked with a dog, the intervention also led to significant decreases in fear and resting heart rate, F(1.44) = 11.694, p < 0.01, η² = 0.210 and F(1.45) = 8.503; p < 0.01; η² = 0.159, respectively. For anxious patients, a short walk with a dog is more beneficial than a walk without one. We found significant positive effects of a dog’s company on vegetative arousal and mental comfort. This is another study confirming the possible therapeutic effect of the animal on anxiety symptoms. Further research is required, especially in the large groups of patients, as recommendations on the use of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) are needed.