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Mittly V, Fáy V, Dankovics N, Pál V, Purebl G. The role of dog therapy in clinical recovery and improving quality of life: a randomized, controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:229. [PMID: 38867254 PMCID: PMC11167866 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04538-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Any illness places a significant burden on patients, including deterioration in quality of life. Animal assisted therapy may be helpful in the rehabilitation process and in the treatment of patients to alleviate this phenomenon. METHODS A randomized, controlled research was conducted in 2019 and 2020 in a rehabilitation center in Budapest. In our study, the control and experimental groups received the same therapy, but the rehabilitation treatment of the intervention group was complemented by dog therapy. Patients were evaluated by means of the short form Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain and the WHO-5 Well-being Index. For statistical analysis paired T-test and ANCOVA was performed. RESULTS 58 participants in both groups took part in the research. Results confirm that both groups showed statistically significant improvement in all outcome measures, except for depression symptoms in dog therapy group. Quality of life of the participants improved significantly, their pain and anxiety levels were significantly reduced, they felt significantly less burdened by the disease in their daily lives. Therapeutic-dog sessions had a large effect on patients' quality of life and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS There is a strong case for animal assisted therapy as a complementary therapy in the rehabilitation program, and it is proposed that consideration should be given to the application of this method on a larger scale within health care. The study was retrospectively registered at ISRCTN Registry (registration number: ISRCTN10208787) on 15/03/2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Mittly
- Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Semmelweis University, Nagyvárad square 4, Budapest, 1089, Hungary.
- South-Pest Central Hospital National Institute of Haematology and Infectology, Center for Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc street 62-66, Budapest, 1195, Hungary.
| | - Veronika Fáy
- South-Pest Central Hospital National Institute of Haematology and Infectology, Center for Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc street 62-66, Budapest, 1195, Hungary
| | - Natália Dankovics
- South-Pest Central Hospital National Institute of Haematology and Infectology, Center for Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc street 62-66, Budapest, 1195, Hungary
| | - Vanda Pál
- Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Semmelweis University, Nagyvárad square 4, Budapest, 1089, Hungary
| | - György Purebl
- Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Semmelweis University, Nagyvárad square 4, Budapest, 1089, Hungary
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Villarreal-Zegarra D, Yllescas-Panta T, Malaquias-Obregon S, Dámaso-Román A, Mayo-Puchoc N. Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy and pet-robot interventions in reducing depressive symptoms among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med 2024; 80:103023. [PMID: 38232905 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systematic reviews suggest that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and pet-robot interventions (PRI) achieve a reduction in mental health variables such as depressive symptoms. However, these systematic reviews include both randomised and non-randomised studies, which prevents an adequate assessment of the effect of confounding variables. OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of AAT and PRI through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in reducing depression in older adults. METHODS Our study is a systematic review. We searched three databases of scientific articles: SCOPUS, Web of Science and PubMed. We included studies that their population was older adults, aged 65 years or older, with or without a clinical condition, clinical diagnosis based on mental examination/test or documentation from medical records, accredited by the facilities' staff. We included trials in which the comparator was a passive intervention or an active intervention. We used the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB 2) to assess the risk of bias for each study. Our study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023393740). RESULTS Twenty-three studies were included in this systematic review. However, only 19 trials were included in the meta-analysis. At the overall risk of bias level, 78.9% of the studies were at high risk of bias (n = 15). We found that AAT (g= -0.72; 95%CI -1.13 to -0.31; p = 0.001) has a moderate and statistically significant effect as an intervention to reduce depressive symptoms in older adults. However, the PRIs do not show a significant effect on reducing depressive symptoms in older adults. In addition, a sub-analysis based on dog-assisted therapy (g= -0.65; 95%CI -1.21 to -0.08; p = 0.025), a specific type of AAT, showed a modest effect on reducing depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our study concluded that AAT and DAT had a moderate and statistically significant effect as interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in older adults. On the other hand, PRI did not show a significant effect in reducing depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Villarreal-Zegarra
- Escuela de Medicina, Universidad César Vallejo, Trujillo, Peru; Instituto Peruano de Orientación Psicológica, Lima, Peru.
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Kocyigit BF, Adilbekov E, Zharmenov S, Akyol A, Yessirkepov M. Evaluating the efficacy of hippotherapy: a promising intervention in rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. Rheumatol Int 2023; 43:2185-2191. [PMID: 37700080 DOI: 10.1007/s00296-023-05451-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Using animals for medical care has a long history. Animals have long been recognized for their ability to improve human health and well-being throughout nations and civilizations. Animal-assisted therapy is a concept that incorporates intentional and regulated interactions between individuals and animals to achieve therapeutic aims. Hippotherapy is an animal-assisted therapy consisting of medical procedures and practices that use horses to restore and enhance physical and mental health. The effectiveness of hippotherapy is evidenced by its ability to have a favorable influence on various domains, encompassing physical, psychosocial, and educational aspects. This multifaceted method entails the active involvement of the sensory, musculoskeletal, vestibular, and visual systems. Hippotherapy is an unconventional modality, leveraging horses' cyclic and repetitive motions to activate the postural reflex structures of individuals. Various studies have mostly focused on determining the efficacy of hippotherapy in the context of neurological conditions, neuro-rehabilitation, and psychiatric disorders. The primary objective of this study was to present the effectiveness of hippotherapy in the fields of rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. In addition, we provided a summary of the potential underlying mechanisms of hippotherapy. Finally, we conducted a comparison of hippotherapy and horse riding simulator interventions to provide their respective strengths and restrictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burhan Fatih Kocyigit
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Adana Health Practice and Research Center, Adana, Turkey.
| | | | - Samat Zharmenov
- Department of Surgical Diseases, Kazakhstan Medical University "KSPH", Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Aura Med Clinic, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Ahmet Akyol
- Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Application and Research Center, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Marlen Yessirkepov
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
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Fuentes-Alvarez R, Morfin-Santana A, Ibañez K, Chairez I, Salazar S. Energetic optimization of an autonomous mobile socially assistive robot for autism spectrum disorder. Front Robot AI 2023; 9:1053115. [PMID: 36779207 PMCID: PMC9909178 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.1053115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The usage of socially assistive robots for autism therapies has increased in recent years. This novel therapeutic tool allows the specialist to keep track of the improvement in socially assistive tasks for autistic children, who hypothetically prefer object-based over human interactions. These kinds of tools also allow the collection of new information to early diagnose neurodevelopment disabilities. This work presents the integration of an output feedback adaptive controller for trajectory tracking and energetic autonomy of a mobile socially assistive robot for autism spectrum disorder under an event-driven control scheme. The proposed implementation integrates facial expression and emotion recognition algorithms to detect the emotions and identities of users (providing robustness to the algorithm since it automatically generates the missing input parameters, which allows it to complete the recognition) to detonate a set of adequate trajectories. The algorithmic implementation for the proposed socially assistive robot is presented and implemented in the Linux-based Robot Operating System. It is considered that the optimization of energetic consumption of the proposal is the main contribution of this work, as it will allow therapists to extend and adapt sessions with autistic children. The experiment that validates the energetic optimization of the proposed integration of an event-driven control scheme is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Fuentes-Alvarez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey—School of Engineering and Science, Mexico, Mexico,*Correspondence: Ruben Fuentes-Alvarez,
| | - Alejandro Morfin-Santana
- Laboratorio Franco Mexicano de Informática y Automática UMI LAFMIA 3175 CINVESTAV-CNRS, Mexico, Mexico
| | - Karlo Ibañez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey—School of Engineering and Science, Mexico, Mexico
| | - Isaac Chairez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Institute of Advanced Materials for Sustainable Manufacturing, Mexico, Mexico,Bioprocesses Department, UPIBI, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico, Mexico
| | - Sergio Salazar
- Laboratorio Franco Mexicano de Informática y Automática UMI LAFMIA 3175 CINVESTAV-CNRS, Mexico, Mexico
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Chen CR, Hung CF, Lee YW, Tseng WT, Chen ML, Chen TT. Functional Outcomes in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Schizophrenia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19106270. [PMID: 35627807 PMCID: PMC9141906 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19106270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in cognition, physical, and social functions in adults with schizophrenia may become salient with aging. While animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can benefit physical function in older adults and improve symptoms of psychotic disorders, the effect of AAT on middle-aged patients with schizophrenia is unclear. The current randomized controlled trial aimed to explore the efficacy of AAT for middle-aged patients with schizophrenia. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either the AAT or control group. The AAT group participated in one-hour sessions with dog-assisted group activities once a week for 12 weeks. The controls participated in dose-matched, non-animal-related recreational activities. Both groups remained on their usual psychotropic medication during the trial. Evaluations included the Chair Stand Test (CST), Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), 5-Meter walk test (5MWT), and Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS). The increases in CST repetitions and ACIS scores were larger in the AAT group than in the controls. The two groups did not differ significantly in MoCA scores, TUG performance, or the 5MWT. The AAT group showed a greater increase in lower extremity strength and social skills, but no improvement in cognitive function, agility, or mobility. Further research with more sensitive evaluations and longer follow-up is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chyi-Rong Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan; (C.-R.C.); (C.-F.H.); (W.-T.T.)
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100025, Taiwan
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung 821004, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Fa Hung
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan; (C.-R.C.); (C.-F.H.); (W.-T.T.)
- Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804201, Taiwan
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Pintung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912301, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Wen Lee
- Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan;
| | - Wei-Ting Tseng
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan; (C.-R.C.); (C.-F.H.); (W.-T.T.)
| | - Mei-Li Chen
- School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei 112303, Taiwan;
- Professional Animal-Assisted Therapy Association of Taiwan, Taipei 112303, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Ting Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan; (C.-R.C.); (C.-F.H.); (W.-T.T.)
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100025, Taiwan
- Professional Animal-Assisted Therapy Association of Taiwan, Taipei 112303, Taiwan
- Correspondence: or
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