Humans have long realized that dogs can be helpful, in a number of ways, to achieving
important goals. This is evident from our earliest interactions involving the shared goal of …

The inclusion of animals in therapeutic activities, known as animal-assisted intervention
(AAI), has been suggested as a treatment practice for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This …

Simple Summary Relationships between pets and their owners vary greatly. The popular
media portrayal of the human benefits of pet ownership is often biased and overstated …

To slow the transmission of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented social
distancing and stay-at-home policies—potentially leading people to rely more on household …

Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Foundations and Guidelines for Animal-Assisted
Interventions, Fifth Edition highlights advances in the field, with seven new chapters and …

Background While companion animals have been previously identified as a direct source of
companionship and support to their owners, their role as a catalyst for friendship formation …

In this study the effectiveness of an equine-assisted therapy (EAT) in improving adaptive and
executive functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was examined …

Objectives: With aging, older adults are at risk of a decline in mental health as they
experience significant life stressors that are specific to later life. It is thus important to explore …

Animals have a long history of inclusion in psychiatric treatment. There has been a recent
growth in the empirical study of this practice, known as Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) …

Abstract In 1988, James Coleman observed that “social capital is defined by its function. It is
not a single entity but a variety of different entities, with two elements in common: they all …