ReviewInternational journal of nursing sciences2021
Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy on pain in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in International journal of nursing sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 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
- Intraoral clinical examinations of pediatric patients with anticipatory anxiety and situational fear facilitated by therapy dog assistance: A pilot RCT.Clinical and experimental dental research · 2023Trial
- Individualized Therapeutic Environments for Pain Management in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey of caregivers of children undergoing plasma tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy regarding postoperative pain management.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Parents' Perceptions of Pediatric Surgical Patients Regarding Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Behavioural disorders and sleep problems in Sanfilippo syndrome: overlaps with some other conditions and importance indications.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Review
- [An unexpected companion? Service dogs and the expression of emotions in hospital settings: an ethnographic perspective].Cadernos de saude publica · 2025Article
- Long-Term Beneficial Effects of Dog Assisted Therapy on Depressive Symptoms in a Patient with Atypical Autism.International medical case reports journal · 2025Article
- Strategies for Managing Pediatric Fracture Pain: Assessment, Pharmacological, and Non-Pharmacological Interventions.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Review
- Recent Developments in the Non-Pharmacological Management of Children's Behavior Based on Distraction Techniques: A Concise Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Virtual reality technology reduces the pain and anxiety of children undergoing vein puncture: a meta-analysis.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Rudolph, the kids' ward reindeer: a scoping review of the effects of support animals on the well-being of healthcare staff.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2023Article
- Zoonotic Risk ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Neurological Mechanisms of Animal-Assisted Intervention in Alzheimer's Disease: A Hypothetical Review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2021Review
- Animal-Assisted Interventions for Children with Advanced Cancer: Child and Parent Perceptions.Palliative medicine reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsAnimal-assisted therapy (AAT) relieves pain by creating a relaxed and comfortable environment to reduce anxiety in children. Yet little is known about its effects on pain in children. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of AAT on pain in children.
methodsEight databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Weipu Database (VIP), China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI) and Wanfang Database were retrieved, and all randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trial using AAT on children's pain were recruited from inception to October 2019. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. RevMan 5.3 software was employed for meta-analysis.
resultsSeven published studies containing 4 RCTs and 3 CCTs were included for the systematic review. The results of meta-analysis showed that AAT could reduce children's pain when compared with the control group [
conclusionCurrent evidence shows that AAT can relieve pain in children to some extent. Considering the limited quality and quantity of the available studies, more high quality studies should be performed to verify the above conclusion.
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.