Abstract
The objective of this study was to propose an intervention and safety protocol for performing animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and evaluating its efficacy in children under outpatient oncological treatment based on psychological, physiological, and quality of life indicators for the children and caregivers. The sample consisted of 24 children diagnosed with leukaemia and solid tumours (58% girls with a mean age of 8.0 years) who underwent an AAT programme consisting of three 30-min sessions in an open group. Two dogs (one Labrador retriever and one golden retriever) were used, and activities such as sensory stimulation, gait training, and socialization were conducted. The exclusion criteria were severe mental problems, inability to answer the questions included in the instruments used, allergy to animals, unavailability/lack of interest, isolation precaution, surgical wound, use of invasive devices, ostomy, no current blood count for evaluation, neutropaenia, infection, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, respiratory symptoms at the beginning of the intervention or 1 week before the intervention, hospitalization or scheduled surgery, and non-completion of the AAT programme. The variables analysed using validated self or other evaluations were stress, pain, mood, anxiety, depression, quality of life, heart rate, and blood pressure. A quasi-experimental study design was used. We observed a decrease in pain (p = 0.046, d = –0.894), irritation (p = 0.041, d = –0.917), and stress (p = 0.005; d = –1.404) and a tendency towards improvement of depressive symptoms (p = 0.069; d = –0.801). Among the caregivers, an improvement was observed in anxiety (p = 0.007, d = –1.312), mental confusion (p = 0.006, d = –1.350), and tension (p = 0.006, d = –1.361). Therefore, the selection criteria and care protocols used for the AAT programme in the oncological context were adequate, and the programme was effective.
Highlights
Throughout their domestication process, animals have had great importance in human life, having been used for transport and hunting since ancient civilizations in all cultures
It is worth noting that according to a study by Nagasawa et al [9], companion animals, especially dogs, can contribute to the establishment of a human-animal bond that is behaviourally and neurohormonally similar to the mother-baby relationship. For these and other researchers, the psychological and psychophysiological effects associated with human-animal interactions result from the activation of the oxytocinergic system and/or the facilitation of human-human relations [9,10]
The participants evaluated for eligibility for the study (n = 4983) were in outpatient care at a children’s oncology hospital from June 2015 to January 2017
Summary
Throughout their domestication process, animals have had great importance in human life, having been used for transport and hunting since ancient civilizations in all cultures. It is worth noting that according to a study by Nagasawa et al [9], companion animals, especially dogs, can contribute to the establishment of a human-animal bond that is behaviourally and neurohormonally similar to the mother-baby relationship. For these and other researchers, the psychological and psychophysiological effects associated with human-animal interactions result from the activation of the oxytocinergic system and/or the facilitation of human-human relations (the so-called “social catalyst effect”) [9,10]. The objectives of this study are a) to propose an intervention and safety protocol for the implementation of AAT and b) to evaluate the impact of an AAT programme in children undergoing outpatient oncological treatment based on psychological, physiological, and quality of life indicators for the children and caregivers
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