Related Experiment Videos
[Camelid-assisted interventions in mental disorders : Effects on psychological and physiological parameters in
Anna Sabina Brabeck1, Sophia Chrysanthou2, Guido Meyer2
1Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Deutschland. anna.brabeck@charite.de.
Background:
Animal-assisted interventions are increasingly used in psychiatric care; however, evidence on the use of camelids, which are characterized by a calm and low-intensity interaction behavior, remains scarce.
Objective:
This study therefore aimed to investigate the short-term effects of a camelid-assisted intervention in individuals with mental disorders.
Material And Methods:
In an exploratory pilot study using a controlled naturalistic fixed-sequence within-subject design, 68 psychiatric inpatients participated in a group intervention with llamas and alpacas. An outdoor group session without animals served as the control condition. Psychological and physiological outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention.
Results:
Compared with the control condition, the camelid-assisted intervention was associated with significantly greater increases in visual analogue scale scores for relaxation and calmness of thought; descriptively, a similar (nonsignificant) pattern was observed for mental well-being, emotional stability, self-confidence and energy. States of anxiety and affective distress decreased slightly in both conditions. Overall, physiological findings for salivary cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase, and heart rate variability were inconsistent.
Discussion:
The findings suggest short-term positive psychological changes in psychiatric patients in association with the camelid-assisted intervention. The stability and generalizability of these changes remain to be examined in larger randomized studies with follow-up assessments.