The DOI matches its Crossref record; 41 of the 41 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
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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“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]
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“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]
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“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]
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“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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Metadata
- 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 › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › 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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