Are therapy dogs like Xanax? Does animal-assisted therapy impact processes relevant to cognitive behavioral psychotherapy?
Abstract
Despite an increase in the popularity of animal-assisted therapy, little is known about the impact of animals on processes relevant to effective psychotherapy. This study tested the impact of having a dog present on process variables relevant to cognitive behavioral therapy, including emotional arousal, the content of trauma narratives, and cognitive change. We employed an expressive writing paradigm as an analog of exposure therapy, a common evidence-based treatment for anxiety and trauma disorders. Participants were randomly assigned to either a trauma or control writing condition, with or without a dog present. Writing about a trauma resulted in significantly more acute anxious arousal than control writing, but participants in the trauma/dog condition showed less distress than those in the trauma/no dog condition. Despite the palliative effect of the dog on acute anxious arousal, process variables in the two trauma conditions were no different. Both trauma groups wrote comparable essays (rated on negative emotionality, cognitive insight, and severity of trauma). At follow-up, only the participants in the trauma condition with a dog showed significant decreases in depressive symptoms. The results suggest that dogs can lower acute distress without compromising emotional processing or therapeutic mechanisms, and may actually improve long-term outcome for some individuals.
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Improvements after AAT could be due to calming or stress-relieving that the presence of animals could induce, based on the biophilia hypothesis.
“Improvements could be due to calming or stress-relieving [61] that the presence of animals could induce, which is based on the biophilia hypothesis [62].”
From Effects of dog-assisted therapy in adolescents with eating disorders: A study protocol for a pilot controlled trial (2021) · cites this paper as [61]
Adults participating in a trauma treatment analogue experienced significant reductions in distress and depressive symptoms.
“Adults participating in a trauma treatment analogue experienced significant reductions in distress and depressive symptoms [34].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [34]
A number of studies reported that the presence of canines had a direct impact on the primary diagnoses and clinical symptomatology of participants.
“A number of these studies reported that the presence of canines had a direct impact on the primary diagnoses and clinical symptomatology of the participants [31–36].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [34]
Previous literature indicates that simple canine-presence is sufficient to impact treatment outcomes [34], whereas other authors have indicated that active engagement [73] or matching of canines to participants [71, 72, 74] may also be important.
“Previous literature indicates that simple canine-presence is sufficient to impact treatment outcomes [34], whereas other authors have indicated that active engagement [73] or matching of canines to participants [71, 72, 74] may also be important.”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [34]
This review also supports the existing literature which suggests that animal presence may be soothing, calming or stress-relieving [34] possibly via reductions in stress physiology [53].
“This review also supports the existing literature which suggests that animal presence may be soothing, calming or stress-relieving [34] possibly via reductions in stress physiology [53].”
From Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy (2019) · cites this paper as [34]
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Feasibility of Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Depression
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Influence of dog presence on the tolerance and evaluation of aversive stimulation
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Treatment for Trauma-Related Disorders: The “Three Buckets” Model
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- Authors
- Hunt, M. G., & Chizkov, R. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hunt, Melissa G.
- ORCID
- Hunt, Melissa G.
- Venue
- Anthrozoös
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2014-09
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 457-469
- ISSN
- 0892-7936 (ISSN-L)
- 1753-0377
- OpenAlex
- W2757927109
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 7
- FWCI
- 3.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Anthrozoös (publishedVersion)
- 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 › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- animal-assisted therapy, therapy dogs, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma narratives, expressive writing, exposure therapy, emotional arousal, anxiety, depression, cognitive change, emotional processing
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