ReviewCurrent pain and headache reports2013
The science behind animal-assisted therapy.
Review in Current pain and headache reports, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 100 citations in OpenAlex.
- Canine-assisted therapy in reducing stress and anxiety levels of university students: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part I): Methods and Results.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Dog-assisted physiotherapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized controlled pilot study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2024Trial
- Animal-Assisted Intervention Improves Pain Perception in Polymedicated Geriatric Patients with Chronic Joint Pain: A Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Post-operative benefits of animal-assisted therapy in pediatric surgery: a randomised study.PloS one · 2015Trial
- Mutual wellbeing in an equine-assisted intervention: experimental evidence for the two-way hypothesis and the importance of interaction method.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The neural and physiological mechanisms of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI): A systematic review and integrated framework.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Investigating the Potential Protective Effect of Dog Ownership on Incident Disabling Dementia and Its Cost-Effectiveness.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Integrated Canine-Assisted Services and Art Therapy in Prison: Pilot Study of Animal Well-Being Aspects and Its Impact on Inmate Critical Events.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- The protective role of companion animal ownership in cognitive aging: current status of the literature.GeroScience · 2026Review
- Canine-Assisted Speech Therapy for Children: Caregiver and Therapist Perspectives.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Assessment of Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Patients with Colorectal Cancer and Its Association with Pet Ownership: A Cross-Sectional Study.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Effects of canine-assisted intervention on stress and depression in humans.Journal of animal science and technology · 2025Review
- Review
- Comprehensive Review of Chronic Stress Pathways and the Efficacy of Behavioral Stress Reduction Programs (BSRPs) in Managing Diseases.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of CHRIS'S Birds Assisted Therapy on Dental Anxiety among Pediatric Patients: A Pilot Study.International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry · 2024Article
- Cognitive mechanisms and neurological foundations of companion animals' role in enhancing human psychological well-being.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Review
- The presence of animals in hospital facilities: A preliminary study on the opinion of doctors, healthcare workers, and students in Sardinia.SAGE open medicine · 2024Article
- Patient and Caregiver Perceptions of Animal Assisted Activity in Orthodontics.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- The Efficacy of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Patients with Dual Diagnosis: Schizophrenia and Addiction.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Animal-assisted therapy is a complementary medicine intervention, typically utilizing dogs trained to be obedient, calm, and comforting. Several studies have reported significant pain relief after participating in therapy dog visits. Objective reports of reduced pain and pain-related symptoms are supported by studies measuring decreased catecholamines and increased endorphins in humans receiving friendly dog visits. Mirror neuron activity and disease-perception through olfactory ability in dogs may also play important roles in helping dogs connect with humans during therapeutic encounters. This review will explore a variety of possible theories that may explain the therapeutic benefits that occur during therapy dog visits.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.