"The Sheep Did It Again": Replication of Animal-Assisted Treatment in Psychiatric Inpatients with Substance Use Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In an initial pilot study, we investigated an animal-assisted treatment (AAT) procedure with sheep as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU+AAT) in psychiatric inpatients with substance use disorder (SUD). Over time, this TAU+AAT intervention significantly reduced negative emotions and improved positive emotions, mindfulness, and self-efficacy expectancy compared to TAU. In the current study, we aimed to replicate these results and extend the investigation to another group of inpatients with difficulties in emotion regulation, namely borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Methods

A single-session AAT procedure with sheep in a group setting as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU+AAT) was examined in an RCT compared to TAU. A total of 29 psychiatric inpatients wit

SUBMITTER: Schmid P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12609190 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature