Children and Companion Animals: Psychosocial, Medical, and Neurobiological Implications

Children and Companion Animals: Psychosocial, Medical, and Neurobiological Implications
Author: Andrea M. Beetz
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 90
Release: 2018-08-16
Genre:
ISBN: 2889455599

Children and companion animals seem to have a natural affinity towards each other. Most children desire a relationship with their own companion animals or at least demonstrate an interest to interact with animals in general. Living with companion animals or interacting with animals may have psychosocial, neurobiological, or medically relevant effects on typically developing children and juveniles as well as those with diverse and special needs. In this eBook, we present several articles addressing the relationships between children/juveniles and animals in different countries, including Austria, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Three articles discuss approaches in animal-assisted education, including animal keeping and animal assisted interventions in schools, and an experimental study investigating immediate effects of dogs on reading competence and accompanying stress reactions with cortisol and behavior. Other articles address topics involving children and their companion animals, including dog-walking by children and juveniles, risks of dog bites by the family dog, selection of pet dogs for families with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the relationships that children with ASD have with their family cats. The interactions between children/juveniles and animals addressed in this eBook provide new insights into some scarcely investigated themes, and underline the significance of animals in children's lives.

Children and Companion Animals: Psychosocial, Medical, and Neurobiological Implications

Children and Companion Animals: Psychosocial, Medical, and Neurobiological Implications
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:

Children and companion animals seem to have a natural affinity towards each other. Most children desire a relationship with their own companion animals or at least demonstrate an interest to interact with animals in general. Living with companion animals or interacting with animals may have psychosocial, neurobiological, or medically relevant effects on typically developing children and juveniles as well as those with diverse and special needs. In this eBook, we present several articles addressing the relationships between children/juveniles and animals in different countries, including Austria, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Three articles discuss approaches in animal-assisted education, including animal keeping and animal assisted interventions in schools, and an experimental study investigating immediate effects of dogs on reading competence and accompanying stress reactions with cortisol and behavior. Other articles address topics involving children and their companion animals, including dog-walking by children and juveniles, risks of dog bites by the family dog, selection of pet dogs for families with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the relationships that children with ASD have with their family cats. The interactions between children/juveniles and animals addressed in this eBook provide new insights into some scarcely investigated themes, and underline the significance of animals in children's lives.

The Social Neuroscience of Human-animal Interaction

The Social Neuroscience of Human-animal Interaction
Author: Lisa S. Freund
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781433821769

Our relationships with animals, as anyone with a beloved dog or cat knows, can be among the most significant in our lives. But why are we so attached to our pets? What kind of health, developmental, and psychological impacts do animals have on us? And what practical benefits -- for animals and humans alike -- can be gained from a deeper understanding of human-animal interactions? In this volume, a cross-disciplinary group of authors that includes behavioral psychologists, neuroscientists, geneticists, ethicists and veterinarians seek to understand human-animal interactions by applying research in the neurobiology and genetics that underlie human social functioning. Chapters describe the concepts and methodologies that social neuroscientists use to understand human social relationships, functioning, and the social bases of cognition, and apply these to understanding the role of animals in our lives. Authors present evolutionary and developmental perspectives, and weigh the implications of human-animal interactions research for animal welfare. Clinical applications include animal-assisted therapies for people with disabilities, acute or chronic health conditions, and social or emotional difficulties. Clear and accessible, this book is intended for a broad readership that includes clinicians, teachers, and anyone interested in how and why animals affect us the way they do.

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy
Author: Nancy Parish-Plass
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 526
Release: 2013-07-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1612492746

The integration of animals into the therapy setting by psychotherapists has been a growing trend. Psychological problems treated include emotional and behavioral problems, attachment issues, trauma, and developmental disorders. An influential 1970s survey suggests that over 20 percent of therapists in the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association incorporated animals into their treatment in some fashion. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is much higher today. Since Yeshiva University psychologist Boris Levinson popularized the involvement of animals in psychotherapy in the 1960s, Israel has come to be perhaps the most advanced country in the world in the area of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP). This is true especially in the areas of academic training programs, theory-building, and clinical practice. Great effort has been put into understanding the mechanisms behind AAP, as well as into developing ethical guidelines that take into account the therapist's responsibility toward both client and animal. This book exposes the world to the theory and practice of AAP as conceived and used in Israel. It emphasizes evidence-based and clinically sound applications with psychotherapeutic goals, as differentiated from other animal-assisted interventions, such as AAE (animal-assisted education) and AAA (animal-assisted activities), which may have education or skills-oriented goals. Not just anyone with a dog can call him-or herself an animal-assisted therapist. This volume demonstrates not only the promise of animal-assisted psychotherapeutic approaches, but also some of the challenges the field still needs to overcome to gain widespread legitimacy.

Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health

Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health
Author: Matilda van den Bosch
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2018-01-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 019103875X

Human beings have always been affected by their surroundings. There are various health benefits linked to being able to access to nature; including increased physical activity, stress recovery, and the stimulation of child cognitive development. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health provides a broad and inclusive picture of the relationship between our own health and the natural environment. All aspects of this unique relationship are covered, ranging from disease prevention through physical activity in green spaces to innovative ecosystem services, such as climate change adaptation by urban trees. Potential hazardous consequences are also discussed including natural disasters, vector-borne pathogens, and allergies. This book analyses the complexity of our human interaction with nature and includes sections for example epigenetics, stress physiology, and impact assessments. These topics are all interconnected and fundamental for reaching a full understanding of the role of nature in public health and wellbeing. Much of the recent literature on environmental health has primarily described potential threats from our natural surroundings. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health instead focuses on how nature can positively impact our health and wellbeing, and how much we risk losing by destroying it. The all-inclusive approach provides a comprehensive and complete coverage of the role of nature in public health, making this textbook invaluable reading for health professionals, students, and researchers within public health, environmental health, and complementary medicine.

Companion Animals and Us

Companion Animals and Us
Author: Anthony L. Podberscek
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2005-07-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521017718

Explores our complex relationships with pets.

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling
Author: Cynthia K. Chandler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2012-04-23
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1136833994

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling is the most comprehensive book available dedicated to training mental health practitioners in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). It explains the history and practice of AAT in counseling, discusses the latest empirical research, and provides an in-depth explanation of the psychodynamics of AAT within various theoretical frameworks. Readers will learn the proper way to select, train, and evaluate an animal for therapy. The use of a number of different therapy animals is considered, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, farm animals, rabbits and other small animals, and dolphins. Guidelines for implementing AAT in settings such as private practices, community agencies, schools, hospices, and prisons are covered, as well as ethical and legal considerations, risk management, diversity issues, and crisis and disaster response applications. Numerous case examples illustrate the use of AAT principles with clients, and forms, client handouts, and other resources provide valuable tools. This unique resource is an indispensable guide for any counselor looking to develop and implement AAT techniques in his or her practice.

Social Workers' Desk Reference

Social Workers' Desk Reference
Author: Kevin J. Corcoran
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 1513
Release: 2015
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199329648

In the first and second editions of the Social Workers' Desk Reference, the changes that were occurring in social work practice, education, and research were highlighted and focused upon. This third edition continues in the same tradition and continues to respond to the changes occurring in society and how they are impacting the education, research, and practice of social work as a whole.

Assessment and Multimodal Management of Pain

Assessment and Multimodal Management of Pain
Author: Maureen Cooney
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
Total Pages: 865
Release: 2020-10-31
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0323530788

Learn best practices and evidence-based guidelines for assessing and managing pain! Assessment and Multimodal Management of Pain: An Integrative Approach describes how to provide effective management of pain through the use of multiple medications and techniques, including both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment regimens. A holistic approach provides an in-depth understanding of pain and includes practical assessment tools along with coverage of opioid and non-opioid analgesics, interventional and herbal approaches to pain, and much more. Written by experts Maureen F. Cooney and Ann Quinlan-Colwell, this reference is a complete, step-by-step guide to contemporary pain assessment and management. - Evidence-based, practical guidance helps students learn to plan and implement pain management, and aligns with current guidelines and best practices. - Comprehensive information on the pharmacologic management of pain includes nonopioid analgesics, opioid analgesics, and co-analgesics, including dose titration, routes of administration, and prevention of side effects. - UNIQUE! Multimodal approach for pain management is explored throughout the book, as it affects assessment, the physiologic experience, and the culturally determined expression, acknowledgement, and management of pain. - UNIQUE! Holistic, integrative approach includes thorough coverage of pain management with non-pharmacologic methods. - Clinical scenarios are cited to illustrate key points. - Equivalent analgesic action for common pain medications provides readers with useful guidance relating to medication selection. - Pain-rating scales in over 20 languages are included in the appendix for improved patient/clinician communication and accurate pain assessment. - UNIQUE! Authors Maureen F. Cooney and Ann Quinlan-Colwell are two of the foremost authorities in multimodal pain assessment and management. - Sample forms, guidelines, protocols, and other hands-on tools are included, and may be reproduced for use in the classroom or clinical setting.

The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond

The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond
Author: Christopher Blazina
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2011-06-22
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 144199761X

There have been dramatic increases in the financial, emotional, and psychological investment in pets over the past four decades. The increasing importance of animal companions in people's lives has resulted in growing emphasis on the human-animal bond within academic literature. This book introduces practicing and emerging professionals to vital subject matter concerning this growing specialty area by providing an essential framework and information through which to consider the unique contextual backdrop of the human-animal bond. Such contexts include a wide array of themes including: issues of attachment and loss, success and frustration with making and sustaining connections, world views regarding animal ethics, familial history of neglect or abuse, and cultural dynamics that speak to the order of things between mankind and nature. Adopting a contextual stance will aid mental health professionals in appreciating why and how this connection has become a significant part of everyday life for many. As with any other important clinical dynamic, training and preparation are needed to gain competence for professional practice and research. To this end, an ensemble of international experts across the fields of psychology and mental health explore topics that will help both new and established clinicians increase and understanding of the various ways the human-animal bond manifests itself. Perspectives from beyond the scope of psychology and mental health such as anthropology, philosophy, literature, religion, and history are included to provide a sampling of the significant contexts in which the human-animal bond is established. What brings these divergent topics together in a meaningful way is their relevance and centrality to the contextual bonds that underlie the human-animal connection. This text will be a valuable resource that provides opportunities to deepen one's expertise in understanding the psychology of the human-animal bond.