A multicenter study of animal-assisted activity and anxiety among older adults hospitalized in acute care settings
For older adults (≥65 years old), hospitalization can be a stressful and anxiety- provoking event. Due to physiological changes in this population that make pharmacological therapy to manage anxiety challenging, use of alternative therapies, such as animal-assisted activities (AAA), could prove bene...
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Published in | Applied nursing research Vol. 60; p. 151447 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Elsevier Inc
01.08.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | For older adults (≥65 years old), hospitalization can be a stressful and anxiety- provoking event. Due to physiological changes in this population that make pharmacological therapy to manage anxiety challenging, use of alternative therapies, such as animal-assisted activities (AAA), could prove beneficial.
The purpose of this study was to determine if an AAA visit from a registered human-animal team during hospitalization would reduce perceived anxiety for older adults.
A multicenter, interventional, comparative, pre-post design was used.
Eligible participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 6-item short form (STAI-6) survey prior to the AAA visit. AAA visits included interaction between the human-animal team and the participant at the bedside. At the conclusion of the visit, participants again completed the STAI-6. Demographic variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparative analyses were performed using non-parametric tests to examine differences in pre-post STAI-6 scores.
Participants (n = 141) had a median age of 75 years. The pre-visit median anxiety score was 14 (interquartile range [IQR] 10, 17), corresponding to mild baseline anxiety. The post-visit median anxiety score decreased significantly to 10 (IQR 7, 13) (p < 0.001). Weak associations were observed for gender (p = 0.025, r = 0.0189), and dog ownership (p = 0.026, r = 0.188).
AAA significantly decreased anxiety in older adults with mild anxiety during inpatient hospitalization. This non-pharmacological intervention can be considered as an alternative intervention for anxiety in this population.
•Animal-assisted activity is a scientific term for human and animal interactions.•Animal-assisted activities are options to reduce anxiety in older adult (≥65 years old) patients.•Even short visits with dogs (~10–15 min) can reduce anxiety.•Role of gender and dog ownership warrant further exploration. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0897-1897 1532-8201 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.apnr.2021.151447 |