According to a recent study, playing with therapy dogs may be even more effective at reducing children’s stress levels than relaxation techniques.
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The calming impact Annie, my family’s 40-pound, floppy-eared mutt, has had on my children has been an unanticipated benefit of adoption. After a long, hectic day at school, my sons frequently flop down on the floor next to Annie’s bed and remain still while she licks their fingers and cheeks. Alternatively, they might rub her belly for a moment before turning to talk about dinner, homework, and everything else that needs to be done before bed.
Although Annie is a real rascal with boundless energy, just having her in our home has a calming effect on my kids that I did not anticipate when we first brought her home more than a year ago.
A study released on Wednesday sheds light on the strong bond between children and dogs. The study used saliva samples to measure children’s levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, and discovered that twice-weekly sessions with a dog and its handler significantly reduced those levels. The treatment seemed to be more successful than guided relaxation exercises.
For the first time, according to Kerstin Meints, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Lincoln in England and one of the study’s researchers, “our study shows that dog-assisted interventions can indeed result in lower stress in children, with and without special educational needs, over a typical school term.”
149 neurotypical and non-neurotypical 8- and 9-year-olds from Britain participated in her team’s randomized, controlled trial, which was written about in the journal PLOS ONE. They were divided into three groups.
Over the course of a month, children in one group interacted for 20 minutes twice a week with a trained dog and its handler. If the dog and kids were game, they would pet the dog for a while, ask some questions, and play. In a different class, youngsters spent the same amount of time practicing relaxation techniques in the absence of any dogs, wiggling their fingers and toes before reclining on yoga mats to practice guided meditation. A third group served as a control.
Cortisol levels were measured in all of the children’s saliva before and after the four-week trial, as well as in the neurotypical children’s saliva before and after each session. Overall, they discovered that kids in the dog intervention group had lower levels of cortisol than their peers in the relaxation and control groups.
“I am not surprised to see such positive results coming out of this study,” said Ali Spikestein, coordinator of the Paws and Play dog program at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the new study. “As a clinical handler who works full-time with a facility dog, I am not surprised to see such positive results.”
Ms. With Professor, Amos, and Moby, the three goldendoodles at her hospital, Spikestein helps children who are in severe pain or who are having a difficult time just being in a hospital setting by sitting and occasionally cuddling with them. However, she noted that the publication of a new study that focused on the potential role dogs might play in calming otherwise healthy schoolchildren was “exciting and promising.”
There is a clear need for more research, according to academics and mental health experts, into the benefits of all kinds of animal-assisted interventions for children. Dr. In order to determine how frequently and for how long children should participate in dog-assisted therapy sessions, Meints also hopes to see more controlled trials and longer-term studies. There are also significant questions about whether it is best for children to receive individual or group therapy, as well as whether it is necessary for them to be able to touch the dog during sessions.
Although it may be tempting for parents like me to draw conclusions, there is a significant difference between canine therapy and the unpredictable interactions that kids and pets have when they are just hanging out at home. (However, studies have shown that having a dog may be beneficial for kids’ psychological growth. ).
There is a distinction between a domestic pet and a trained animal, according to Dr Arun Handa is an attending psychiatrist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s department of child and adolescent psychiatry. “Having said that, it’s not absurd that house pets can offer some level of comfort and support.” ”.
Children must be taught how to interact with dogs in all environments, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers advice to parents on selecting and maintaining a family pet. Children in the new study were always closely watched by adults and were always reminded before sessions not to kiss, hug, or crowd their therapy dogs in any way. The team stopped any sessions where the dogs appeared worn out or as though they no longer wanted to participate by keeping an eye out for indications that the dogs were unhappy, such as nose-licking, moving their body or head away, or repeated yawning.
I can confirm that ongoing training in that area takes place at my house. My sons sometimes need to be reminded to give Annie some space, but other times, Annie is the one who needs to be reminded. But a lot of the time, my kids and my dog seem to have an emotional connection that I can’t help but think is beneficial for them.
“Animals provide this unconditional love,” Dr. Handa said, “and come from a place of nonjudgmental support. ”.
Can a service dog help your anxious child?
Many anxious kids believe that their lives are getting out of control. Things that other kids do cause them anxiety or panic.
Things like attending school, shopping at a mall, watching a movie, or going to bed at night
Lights, sounds, people, darkness. Anything. Everything. Nothing.
Sometimes they are afraid, and they don’t even know why.
Chronic anxiety is difficult to manage, and unlike many other childhood disorders, anxiety is a disability that goes unnoticed.
It’s lonely. Only those who have experienced it can truly understand it.
You might wonder if a service dog could be your child’s dependable, lifelong companion who soothes their anxiety both at home and in public.
Would your child’s service dog, Tucker, be their “live teddy bear”?, asks one young girl.
Would a service dog be able to stop your kid’s panic attacks, keep him calm in tense situations, and help him remember how to relax on his own?
According to the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED), a standardized screening test, 13% of the 58 percent of children who did have a dog at home had stress and anxiety symptoms. However, this percentage increased to 21% of the kids who were tested who tested positive on the anxiety screening test.
The research deserves praise for being conducted in a real-world setting and using a much larger sample of young people than previous studies have been able to. Researchers will need to follow more kids more closely for a longer period of time to establish a cause-and-effect relationship; however, because this study relied on parental reports and used an overwhelmingly white sample group, it is not yet proof of a link.
You might find it hard to believe when youre running around the park after your pooch or cleaning up the latest vase it broke, but having a dog in the home can significantly reduce the likelihood that your kids will experience stress and anxiety, a new study has found.
The CDC researchers are urging further study into our early relationships with our pets to determine why there might be a connection between dog ownership and lower levels of childhood stress. But bringing a dog into your family could be one way to achieve it if you want to create a calm and happy environment at home (for your kids, at least – you’ll still have to clean up after everyone).
Finding ways to make our formative years less stressful is an important area of research because a wide range of issues, from obesity to mental health problems, begin in childhood.
You can frequently use a variety of resources to help children who are experiencing anxiety. Having a therapy dog is one tool. Our product, Turnaround Anxiety, is another tool.
Your child will be able to confide in a therapy dog, who will become a friend with whom they can discuss their worries and get the encouragement they need to face their fears. Your child can meet new people, venture outside of her comfort zone, and try new things with the aid of a therapy dog. When a family has an anxious child, therapy dogs are frequently a wonderful addition and can make all the difference in the world for the child.
For the time being, let’s ignore the studies and focus on some anecdotal evidence to show the value of therapy dogs for kids with social phobias or other challenges.
The book Every Dog Has a Gift by Rachel McPherson provides the example of kids reading to dogs. Reading to their dog is an excellent way to boost your child’s confidence, literacy, and social skills, regardless of whether they are having problems with trust, low self-esteem, or lagging literacy skills as a result of social anxiety.
Before adopting a dog, even a highly skilled therapy dog, you should discuss many factors with your family, as you should with any pet.
FAQ
What breed of dog is best for a child with anxiety?
Labradoodles are excellent therapy dogs because they are friendly and perceptive, making them a good choice for children who are anxious. Due to their high intelligence and desire to please their owners, they pay close attention to how their parents are feeling.
Can a child with anxiety get a service dog?
Children with anxiety, depression, or PTSD can use psychiatric assistance dogs to help with tasks like recognizing a panic attack, delivering deep pressure therapy, locating help, and guiding their handler to an exit.
How can a therapy dog help a child with anxiety?
The owner’s disability must be lessened by the emotional support animal’s reduction of any internal or external symptoms. A person must have written confirmation from a doctor or other mental health specialist stating that the animal supports the owner’s current disability in order to be eligible for an emotional assistance animal.
What is the best dog for someone with anxiety?
…
- Chihuahua. …
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi. …
- French Bulldog. …
- Cocker Spaniel. …
- Dachshund. …
- Golden Retriever. …
- Labrador Retriever. …
- Yorkshire Terrier (yorkie)