NCT06496685

Dog Assisted Therapy Program for Children With ADHD

Dog Assisted Therapy Program for Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: a Randomized Clinical Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (actual)
• Sponsor: Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 7 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of AAT intervention in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), in terms of improving functionality, ADHD-associated symptoms, attention and working memory. Participants were recruited from a community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and a Primary Health Care Center. These objectives were accomplished through a multicenter, randomized clinical trial, open-label, two-arm study of AAT for children with ADHD.

Detailed description

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of Animal Assisted Therapy (with therapy dogs) in in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The investigators conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label, two-arm clinical trial. Thirty-six children aged 7-12 diagnosed with ADHD were randomized in two groups. Experimental group: 14 animal assisted therapy (AAT) psychoeducational sessions (once-a-week, 60 minutes) + treatment as usual and control group: treatment as usual. Participants were recruited from a community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and a Primary Health Care Center. The investigators evaluated changes on functionality, ADHD-associated symptoms, attention and working memory at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Assessment included intelligence test, ADHD symptoms referred by parents and teacher's (Conners Rating Scale), attention measures (Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3) and children's functioning (Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS)).

Conditions

• Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity
• Animal Assisted Therapy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	psychoeducational	A structured AAT program and usual treatment in Experimental group.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-12-01
• Primary completion: 2019-02-01
• Completion: 2023-04-27
• First posted: 2024-07-11
• Last updated: 2024-07-15

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Spain