Evaluating the Impact of a Canine-assisted Therapy Program in Youth Enrolled in Outpatient Treatment for Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems.
University of Chicago
Summary
The goal of this pilot project is to test for initial efficacy of the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy program that has been developed and implemented in Lawrence Hall, a Chicago-based residential treatment center for maltreated youth. In this study, the investigators test the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term efficacy of expanding the program to a group of youth currently in outpatient treatment for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Results from this project will provide preliminary evidence of whether a structured, goal-oriented intervention program focused on dog training activities has direct impact on increasing youth emotional self-regulation, impulse control, and self-efficacy, which are important targets for intervention among youth with mental health problems. If successful, this project could lead to a larger, randomized control clinical trials study that tests the longitudinal impact of the program that could further lead to national dissemination of the Recovery \& Care curriculum as an alternative therapeutic approach.
Description
The study uses a longitudinal, within-person design with two parallel conditions. This study involves three cohorts of youth who will participate in one of two 6-week interventions. For each cohort of youth, half of the sample will be randomly assigned to the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy condition, and half of the sample will be randomly assigned to an active control condition (Canine Education \& Bonding). The two conditions will run in parallel. The order of the two intervention conditions will be counterbalanced across study cohorts. The Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 8–17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Currently receiving outpatient mental health services at the University of Chicago or have received outpatient mental health services from the community in the last 12 months. * Available for scheduling during the entire 6-week intervention program * Interest in participating in the program Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive, psychiatric, or physical condition or limitation that would prevent participation. * Severe animal allergy * Animal phobia * History of mistreatment of animals. * Above-average scores on both measures of behavioral regulation and emotional reg…
Interventions
- BehavioralRecovery & Care Canine-Assisted Therapy
Active intervention. An 6-week session of structured, goal-oriented activities where youth focus on mastering dog obedience and dog training skills. Each session is 1 hour and 15 minutes in length and includes education, review of prior sessions, and specific skill-building activities. Skill-building activities progress in complexity during the course of the 6-week curriculum.
- OtherCanine Education & Bonding
Active control intervention. An 6-week session of semi-structured activities. Sessions are 45 minutes in length. Youth in this condition engage in an educational component, passive observation of dog-training skills, and an active free-play session with the dog-handler teams.
Location
- University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois