The effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy in managing symptoms of anxiety

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Generalised anxiety disorder is a major public health issue amongst young adults. Such individuals are more prone to suffer from anxiety due to academic stressors and social stressors. An effective intervention for managing symptoms of anxiety is animal-assisted therapy (AAT). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the effectiveness of AAT in managing symptoms of anxiety amongst young adults. The research question was formulated by the PEO framework. The research question reads: Is animal-assisted therapy effective in ameliorating anxiety amongst young adults? The PEO elements of the research question, comprised of young adults aged 18-30, suffering from anxiety related to academic studies as the population, AAT as the exposure, and the reduction in anxiety and improved coping skills as the outcome. METHODS: Pertinent articles were retrieved through the methodical search strategy. The inclusion criteria entailed participants aged between 18-30, students suffering from anxiety and encountering stress due to academic studies, the exposure of AAT and full-text articles. Exclusion criteria consisted of non-peer-reviewed articles, pet ownership and other forms of therapies, articles not published in English, and fragmentary articles. Out of the original 792 retrieved studies, six studies met the inclusion criteria and were critically appraised using the PRISMA Checklist, CASP Randomised Controlled Trial Checklist, and CASP Qualitative Studies Checklist. Ethical issues were duly considered. FINDINGS: Results reveal that AAT is effective in managing symptoms of anxiety in young adults and further improved academic success. The psychological state of the individual significantly improved, as well as the biological and social aspects. CONCLUSION: The studies concluded similar findings as AAT being effective in ameliorating symptoms of anxiety. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects of AAT and generalisability, as this was not possible due the small sample sizes of retrieved studies. There is also the need to increase awareness locally on the effectiveness of this intervention.