Research and reflection: animal-assisted therapy in mental health settings.(Issues and Insights)

Although animals have been historically associated with promoting physical and mental health benefits for humans, only recently has there been support for such claims in the literature. This article is a preliminary attempt to bring together scientific studies and anecdotal reports that provide evidence of the benefits of using animals in particular counseling situations,

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Historical accounts of the animal-human relationship are sketchy. In general, animals have been thought to contribute to a person s well-being. Using animals as pets, companions, Seeing Eye dogs, and guard dogs is universally accepted as beneficial, but the answer to the question of whether animals contribute to a person's physical or mental health, or both, has not been well documented until recently. As of 1990, there was little scientific research published on the value of using animals as therapeutic tools. Most of the references at that time were anecdotal reports or individual case studies (Hoelscher & Garfat, 1993; Marr et al., 2000). Whether because of insufficient funding or difficulty in methodology, there was little information in professional journals to attract the attention of mental health professionals regarding the therapeutic value of animals.

Recorded use of pets as therapeutic agents dates to 1699 when John Locke advocated "giving children dogs, squirrels, birds, or any such thing as to look after as a means of encouraging them to develop tender feelings and a sense of responsibility for others" (as cited in Serpell, 2000, p. 12). In 1792, it was recorded that farm animals were present at a Quaker retreat in England for the mental health benefit of residents, and in 1867 farm animals were used again at a Bethel Community in Germany. In the United States, animals were first used therapeutically in the 1940s at an Air Force Convalescent Hospital in New York City. The use of animals at these sites was to promote the patients' well-being by allowing them to observe, take care of, and touch the animals (Baun & McCabe, 2000).

In the mid-twentieth century, Boris Levinson made a remarkable discovery. Levinson, a psychology professor at Yeshiva University in New York City, was attempting to treat a difficult, uncommunicative child. He left his dog Jingles alone with the child for only a few minutes. When he returned, the child was talking with the dog (Reichert, 1998); however, there was still no scientific study of the effects that such associations had on patients (Draper, Gerber, & Layng, 1990).

Two organizations, The Latham Foundation in California and the Delta Society in Renton, Washington, were founded to study the human-animal bond. The Delta Society defines animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as "the use of trained animals in facilitating patients' progress toward therapeutic goals" (Draper et al., 1990, p. 169).

A groundbreaking study was published in 1980 (Barker & Dawson, 1998). In this study of 92 cardiac outpatients, it was found that those who were pet owners lived longer than those who did not have a pet. More recently, in 1992, an Australian study (Barker & Dawson, 1998) involving 5,741 people was conducted to determine the effects of pet ownership on cardiac health. The results showed that the pet owners had "lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels than did non-pet owners" (Barker & Dawson, 1998, p. 797). Variables such as diet, smoking, socioeconomic class, and body weight were controlled. In another study (Odendaal, 2000), it was found that when people interacted with their dogs, their systolic blood pressure and chemical plasma levels related to stress were affected positively. In fact, the dogs in the study had similar results.

It has been found that animals can have a "de-arousing effect" on humans and that they provide people with stress-reducing or stress-buffering social support (Serpell, 2000, p. 15). Social support has a positive effect on the ability to cope with the normal stressors of life; therefore, the effect of animals on humans may be not only physical in nature, but it may also promote mental well-being.

In an article titled "Love on a Leash at Robinson Memorial Hospital" (Phillips, 2001), there is a description of a program that was developed at Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna, Ohio. In this program, certified dogs and trained volunteers visited patients, visitors, and staff for several hours each day. Debra Wilcox, director of Volunteer Services, and Dianne Fiocca, director of Behavioral Health Services, directed the program. Wilcox stated in the article that "the dogs help the patients feel more comfortable. ... They tend to open up more and it helps them …