Animal-assisted therapies for youth with or at risk for mental health problems: A systematic review
Open accessAbstract
To systematically review experimental evidence about animal-assisted therapies (AAT) for children or adolescents with or at risk for mental health conditions, we reviewed all experimental AAT studies published between 2000-2015, and compared studies by animal type, intervention, and outcomes. METHODS: Studies were included if used therapeutically for children and adolescents (≤21 years) with or at risk for a mental health problem; used random assignment or a waitlist comparison/control group; and included child-specific outcome data. Of 1,535 studies, 24 met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Of 24 studies identified, almost half were randomized controlled trials, with 9 of 11 published in the past two years. The largest group addresses equine therapies for autism. CONCLUSION: Findings are generally promising for positive effects associated with equine therapies for autism and canine therapies for childhood trauma. The AAT research base is slim; a more focused research agenda is outlined.
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Animal-assisted interventions were effective in improving the state of children or adults with or at risk of developing mental disorders such as ADHD, PTSD, or ASD, and for the treatment of PTSD in military veterans.
“Such interventions were effective in improving the state of children or adults with or at risk of developing mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [38,39,40], and for the treatment of PTSD in military veterans [41,42].”
From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [39]
The Results (Outcomes × Targeted Condition; page not provided) report improvements in some studies of children with ADHD, PTSD or trauma, and ASD. The Discussion cautions that effectiveness for children with mental health conditions cannot yet be established; the review does not extend those findings to adults. The separate citations attached to military veterans do not attribute that part of the sentence to this source. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredEight systematic reviews have indicated that multi-species AAIs may be effective as an adjunctive treatment for human health and wellbeing.
“Eight systematic reviews have indicated that multi-species AAIs may be effective as an adjunctive treatment for human health and wellbeing [10–17].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [15]
The Abstract identifies this as a systematic review of therapies involving different animal species and says AAT is often an adjunct to other therapies. The Conclusion reports limited but promising support for children with or at risk for mental disorders. It does not establish effectiveness across human health and wellbeing generally, so the claim is broader than this review’s findings. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOf the seven reviews that explored psychological variables, all concluded that AAI may be beneficial in reducing psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, mental illness or addiction.
“Of the seven reviews that explored psychological variables, all concluded that AAI may be beneficial in reducing psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, mental illness or addiction [10–16].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [15]
Three reviews examined psychosocial variables, all of which concluded that AAI may improve behaviour, communication or social skills, especially in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
“Three reviews examined psychosocial variables, all of which concluded that AAI may improve behaviour, communication or social skills, especially in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) [12, 15, 17].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [15]
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Animal-assisted activities in the classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders
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- Authors
- Hoagwood, K. E., Acri, M., Morrissey, M., & Peth-Pierce, R.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hoagwood, Kimberly Eaton
- Venue
- Applied Developmental Science
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-01-25
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-13
- ISSN
- 1088-8691 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-480X
- PMC
- PMC5546745
- OpenAlex
- W2294384212
- Semantic Scholar
- 9d03a9b76e7381b881c3dd6abed479c4ab5faeb6
- Cited by
- 158
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 1.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Applied Developmental Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5P30MH090322-04)
- National Institute of Mental Health (P30MH090322)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Therapy and Development
- Keywords
- animal-assisted therapy, children and adolescents, youth mental health, equine-assisted therapy, autism spectrum disorder, dog-assisted therapy, childhood trauma, animal types, intervention outcomes
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