Animal-assisted Trauma-focused Therapy for Children and Adolescents

The study aims to investigate how the inclusion of an animal into a trauma-focused group therapy program (TF-CBT) affects therapy motivation of children and adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress. 80 children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years are recruited for the study. Participants must have experienced at least one traumatic event leading to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups: animal-assisted trauma-focused therapy (AA TF-CBT) or standard trauma-focused therapy (TF-CBT). Parallel to the groups the parents/guardians of the participating children and adolescents take part in three parent meetings.The results of the study help to gain insights into how the inclusion of animals in trauma-focused psychotherapy can contribute to children and adolescents attending therapy, being more motivated in therapy, and can successfully complete therapy.

Inclusion Criteria:Age between 9 and 17 yearsexperienced a traumatic eventSuffering from posttraumatic stress symptoms (screened via the CATS-2; cut-off ≥ 21)Basic knowledge of child and parents in German to be able to understand content of the session and to fill in questionnairesInformed consent (given by legal guardian for participants younger than 14 years)Positive or neutral attitude towards animalsExclusion Criteria:Diagnosed developmental disorderDiagnosed autism spectrum disorderReported significant impairment or safety issue (e.g., active suicidal ideation, acute psychosis)Known abuse of substances used for emotion regulation (e.g. cannabis, alcohol, other hard drugs)Fear of domestic animalsAllergic reactions to domestic animalsReported aggressive behavior towards animals in the past