The effects of group and individual animal-assisted therapy on loneliness in residents of long-term care facilities
- 1 December 2005
- journal article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Anthrozoös
- Vol. 18 (4), 396-408
- https://doi.org/10.2752/089279305785593983
Abstract
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been shown to reduce the loneliness of residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In this study, we determined the relative contribution of socialization (human–human bonding) and human–animal bonding as mechanisms by which AAT reduces loneliness. Residents in LTCFs volunteering for AAT were randomized to receive AAT as individuals (Individual) or in groups of two to four (Group). Individual AAT was used as a measure of animal–human bonding, and Group AAT was used as a measure of the combination of animal–human bonding and socialization. Any greater effect of Group AAT in comparison to Individual AAT would be ascribed to socialization. Thirty-seven residents of LTCFs, who were cognitively intact, volunteered for AAT, and scored as significantly lonely on the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), were studied. Six weeks of AAT, one 30-minute session per week, in an individual or group setting was performed, with posttesting during week five. Two residents dropped out of each group, giving us group sizes of 17 (Individual) and 16 (Group). A two-way ANOVA showed a statistically significant effect of pretest vs. posttest scores (F(1,31) = 25.3, p < 0.001), with no effect of Group vs. Individual or of interaction. Newman Keuls post-hoc tests showed that the pretest scores for Individual and Group participants did not differ. There was a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores for Individual participants (p < 0.05) but not for Group participants. There was no difference between the posttest values for Individual vs. Group. When the data from all 33 participants were combined, Delta scores (pretest minus posttest), correlated positively (p < 0.01) with pretest scores, showing that lonelier individuals benefited more from AAT. In conclusion, AAT was more effective in improving loneliness in residents of LTCFs when given individually than in a group situation. Therefore, the main effect of AAT was not mediated by socialization.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Loneliness in an Elderly Population in Long-Term Care FacilitiesThe Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 2002
- Animal-Assisted Therapy Enhances Resident Social Interaction and Initiation in Long-Term Care FacilitiesAnthrozoös, 2000
- Dogs as catalysts for social interactions: Robustness of the effectBritish Journal of Psychology, 2000
- Influence of Companion Animals on the Physical and Psychological Health of Older People: An Analysis of a One‐Year Longitudinal StudyJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1999
- A long-term study of elderly people in nursing homes with visiting and resident dogsApplied Animal Behaviour Science, 1996
- The Role of Pet Dogs in Casual Conversations of Elderly AdultsThe Journal of Social Psychology, 1993
- The Influence of an Animal on Social Interactions of Nursing Home Residents in a Group SettingAmerican Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1993
- Human-Pet Interaction and Loneliness: A Test of Concepts from Roy's Adaptation ModelNursing Science Quarterly, 1989
- The Effects of Service Dogs on Social Acknowledgments of People in WheelchairsThe Journal of Psychology, 1988
- “Mini-mental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinicianJournal of Psychiatric Research, 1975