Animal-assisted therapy and depression

Abstract

Introduction: depression, according to the World Health Organization, represents 4.3% of the global burden of disease and is the mental disorder that appears most frequently throughout life in Spain. Due to the complexity of its management, research is beginning into other complementary therapies that improve efficiency, among them animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Objective: to determine the efficacy of animal-assisted therapy/activity in coping with depression in people with psychological suffering. Methodology: a literature review was carried out considering the main elements of the stated aim. For this, the following databases were used: PubMed, CINAHL, Cuiden, Scielo and PsycINFO. A total of 13 articles were obtained. Results/discussion: there are a series of biopsychosocial benefits generated by AAT —such as the acquisition of interpersonal and executive skills; a decrease in anxiety symptoms— which may lead to the improvement of depression. Future research is essential, given the lack of adequacy of certain methodological elements, as well as the lack of studies relating to the research question. Conclusions: AAT is positioned as a promising resource in very diverse situations of psychological suffering that converge on depression.