A Systematic Examination of Animal Assisted Interventions for Disadvantaged Groups_abstract

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.4 Issue.4

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.22.4.10

REVIEW ARTICLE / DERLEME YAZISI

A Systematic Examination of Animal Assisted Interventions for Disadvantaged Groups

Dezavantajlı Gruplar için Hayvan Destekli Müdahalelere Sistematik Bir Bakış

Seda Topgül¹

Abstract:

Pets enrich the lives of individuals of the psychiatric, pediatric and geriatric population due to their therapeutic effects. Therefore, they also helps to meet the needs and goals of individuals. It has been shown that animal-assisted interventions have important benefits for the maintenance and improvement of individuals’ physical, mental and social well-being. The aim of this study is to review the benefits and application areas of animal-assisted interventions as a complementary method in the treatment of vulnerable groups and to present some study results in this field. For this purpose, a systematic review model was chosen for this study. It was aimed to interpret the effects of animal-assisted interventions through systematic literature review. Research results indicate no clear and final conclusion on how animal-assisted interventions affect the well-being of individuals. This is due to limitations regarding the frequency, duration and controllability of animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities, and sample sizes, session properties, and pet types utilized in these therapy and activities, and methodological limitations. However, it has been shown that animal-assisted interventions increase positive social behaviors and the use of pets in therapeutic environments have positive effects in general. It is thought that animal-assisted interventions can be used as a complementary method to improve the quality of life of individuals belonging to vulnerable groups. Considering past studies, utilization of animal-assisted interventions in a wide range of areas from psychiatric disorders to developmental disorders, from diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia, is recommended.

Keywords: Animal Assisted Activity, Animal Assisted Therapy, Disadvantaged Groups

¹Assoc. Prof., Akdeniz University, Manavgat Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Social Services, Antalya-Turkey, Orcid İd: 0000-0003-1649-1732

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Akdeniz University, Manavgat Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Social Services, Antalya-Turkey, E-mail: sedatopgul@akdeniz.edu.tr

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 28.07.2022, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 30.08.2022, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 26.09.2022, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 06.12.2022

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Topgül, S.  (2022). A Systematic Examination of Animal Assisted Interventions for Disadvantaged Groups, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 4(4): 387-392

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/