Is Animal-Assisted Therapy for Minimally Conscious State Beneficial? A Case Study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The goal of this single case study was to qualitatively investigate the effects of animal-assisted therapy in a patient in a minimally conscious state.

METHOD:

We present a 28-year-old female patient in a minimally conscious state following polytrauma after a sports accident leading to cerebral fat embolism causing multiple CNS ischemic lesions. She received eight animal-assisted therapy sessions and eight paralleled control therapy sessions over 4 weeks. We investigated the reactions of the patient during these sessions via qualitative behavior analysis.

RESULTS:

The patient showed a broader variability and higher quality of behavior during animal-assisted therapy compared to control therapy sessions.

CONCLUSION:

The observed behavioral changes showed higher arousal and increased awareness in the presence of an animal. The presented case supports the assumption that animal-assisted therapy can be a beneficial treatment approach for patients in a minimally conscious state.

• Authors: Jacqueline P Boitier, Marion Huber, Christian Saleh, Matthew J Kerry, Margret Hund-Georgiadis, Karin Hediger
• Journal: Frontiers in psychiatry (Front Psychiatry) Vol. 11 Pg. 491 ( 2020) ISSN: 1664-0640 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 32547434 (Publication Type: Case Reports)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 Boitier, Huber, Saleh, Kerry, Hund-Georgiadis and Hediger.