Effects of Animal-assisted Therapy on Brain-injured Patients

NCT ID: NCT02599766

Last Updated: 2019-07-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 22 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-02-28
• Study Completion Date: 2016-02-29

Brief Summary

The purpose is to investigate whether animal-assisted therapy has positive biopsychosocial effects on patients with brain injuries. This study investigates the short-term biopsychosocial effects that occur when animals are present during therapy sessions in comparison to therapy sessions without animals, observing a group of 25 patients over 24 therapy sessions. While half of the sessions are held in presence of an animal and half without, they are as comparable as possible with respect to content and setting. In this study, patients who are in a slightly advanced rehabilitation process, assessed via their function profile, are investigated.

Detailed Description

This study is designed as a controlled cross-over, within-subject trial with repeated measurement. The experimental condition is the standardised therapy session using therapy animals (AAT), while the control condition is the comparable "standard" therapy session without the presence of an animal.

Over a period of six weeks, patients have four standardised therapy sessions per week, that alternate in a way that two sessions in two consecutive weeks are similar except for one is with the presence of animals and one without. In this way, data is collected over 24 therapy sessions (12 experimental, 12 control) for each patient.

Each therapy session lasts 30 minutes with an additional 5 minutes before and 10 minutes after the session for filling in the questionnaires.

The study takes place at REHAB Basel. Animal-assisted therapies will be held at the "Therapie-Tiergarten" at REHAB Basel in the presence of one or more animals that will be selected by the therapist and the patient together and with which the patient has a relationship.

Patients who are willing to join the study will be selected and allocated randomly to start with either the experimental or the control condition.

Participation in the study will be cancelled if a patient wishes to do so or if they choose to withdraw from the animal-assisted therapy program. Other criteria for withdrawal are if the patient is harmed by an animal or if the animals are abused by the patient.

Conditions

Impaired Social Functioning

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

animal assisted therapy

"Standard therapy" that is done in the presence and with integrating an animal.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

animal assisted therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the presence of an animal

standard therapy

"Standard therapy" without the presence of an animal.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

standard therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

standard physiotherapy, standard speech therapy and standard occupational therapy

Interventions

animal assisted therapy

physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the presence of an animal

Intervention Type: OTHER

standard therapy

standard physiotherapy, standard speech therapy and standard occupational therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• patient at REHAB Basel
• brain-injury
• willing to participate in animal-assisted therapies
• physical and psychological resilience and ability to go/be transported outside to the "Therapie-Tiergarten"
• ability to get in contact with the animal autonomously

Exclusion Criteria

• medical contraindications:allergies, phobias, etc.
• no willingness to participate in animal-assisted therapies
• patient might present a danger to the animals (aggressive behaviour)
• patient's medication changes radically during the time of data collection

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on the Human-Pet Relationship

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Karin Hediger

Dr. phil.

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Margret Hund-Georgiadis, PD Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Rehab Basel

Locations

REHAB Basel

Basel, , Switzerland

Countries

Switzerland

References

Gocheva V, Hund-Georgiadis M, Hediger K. Effects of animal-assisted therapy on concentration and attention span in patients with acquired brain injury: A randomized controlled trial. Neuropsychology. 2018 Jan;32(1):54-64. doi: 10.1037/neu0000398. Epub 2017 Oct 16.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 29035068 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Ref.Nr.EK:296/13

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id