Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT: Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is increasingly used to address impaired social competence in patients with acquired brain injury. However, the efficacy of AAT has not been tested in these patients. We used a randomised, controlled within subject trial to determine the effects of AAT on social competence in patients undergoing stationary neurorehabilitation. Participants received both AAT sessions and paralleled conventional therapy sessions. The patients' social behaviour was systematically coded on the basis of video recordings of therapy sessions. Moreover, mood, treatment motivation and satisfaction was measured during each therapy session. We analysed 222 AAT and 219 control sessions of 19 patients with linear mixed models. Patients showed a significantly higher amount of social behavio

SUBMITTER: Hediger K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6456498 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature