ArticlePloS one2018
Impact of an animal-assisted therapy programme on physiological and psychosocial variables of paediatric oncology patients.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 3 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
31 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- Improving the Emotional Distress and the Experience of Hospitalization in Children and Adolescent Patients Through Animal Assisted Interventions: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part I): Methods and Results.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part II): Theoretical Mechanisms and Frameworks.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Impact of Animal-Assisted Interaction on Anxiety in Children With Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers.Journal of palliative medicine · 2024Trial
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Animal-assisted Activities for Pediatric Oncology Patients: Psychosocial and Microbial Outcomes.Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & PractitionersTrial
- Article
- Animal-Assisted Therapy for Reducing Anxiety in Vulnerable Clinical Populations: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Animal-Assisted Psychoeducational Intervention in Paediatric Oncohaematology: Evidence from a Single-Centre Observational Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- An overview of the benefits of animal-assisted interventions in medical and therapeutic contexts for human health: cognitive mechanisms, sensory perception and welfare considerations.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- How recreational therapies impact physiological and psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients: a review.Oncology reviews · 2026Review
- Parents' Perceptions of Pediatric Surgical Patients Regarding Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Pawsitive Care: Canine-Assisted Intervention for Anxiety in ICU Patients and Family Members: A Single-Center, Single-Arm Study.Critical care explorations · 2025Article
- Utilizing complementary therapy to enhance quality of life and reduce stress and fatigue in pediatric cancer patients.World journal of clinical cases · 2025Review
- A survey of infection prevention and animal-assisted activity policies in health care facilities-United States, 2023.American journal of infection control · 2024Article
- Animal-Assisted Therapy in palliative care: a scoping review.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Consensus Statement on Animals' Relationship with Pediatric Oncohematological Patients, on Behalf of Infectious Diseases and Nurse Working Groups of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Exploring the benefits of full-time hospital facility dogs working with nurse handlers in a children's hospital.PloS one · 2023Article
- Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy for Pediatric Chronic Pain: Case Series of an Open Pilot Study to Test Initial Feasibility and Potential Efficacy.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Working like a Dog: Exploring the Role of a Therapy Dog in Clinical Exercise Physiology Practice.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 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
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to propose an intervention and safety protocol for performing animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and evaluating its efficacy in children under outpatient oncological treatment based on psychological, physiological, and quality of life indicators for the children and caregivers. The sample consisted of 24 children diagnosed with leukaemia and solid tumours (58% girls with a mean age of 8.0 years) who underwent an AAT programme consisting of three 30-min sessions in an open group. Two dogs (one Labrador retriever and one golden retriever) were used, and activities such as sensory stimulation, gait training, and socialization were conducted. The exclusion criteria were severe mental problems, inability to answer the questions included in the instruments used, allergy to animals, unavailability/lack of interest, isolation precaution, surgical wound, use of invasive devices, ostomy, no current blood count for evaluation, neutropaenia, infection, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, respiratory symptoms at the beginning of the intervention or 1 week before the intervention, hospitalization or scheduled surgery, and non-completion of the AAT programme. The variables analysed using validated self or other evaluations were stress, pain, mood, anxiety, depression, quality of life, heart rate, and blood pressure. A quasi-experimental study design was used. We observed a decrease in pain (p = 0.046, d = -0.894), irritation (p = 0.041, d = -0.917), and stress (p = 0.005; d = -1.404) and a tendency towards improvement of depressive symptoms (p = 0.069; d = -0.801). Among the caregivers, an improvement was observed in anxiety (p = 0.007, d = -1.312), mental confusion (p = 0.006, d = -1.350), and tension (p = 0.006, d = -1.361). Therefore, the selection criteria and care protocols used for the AAT programme in the oncological context were adequate, and the programme was effective.
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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.