Canine-assisted Psychotherapy Motivation Alliance

Motivation Clinical Trial

— CAP  

Official title:

Effects of the Inclusion of a Dog in Psychotherapy on Children's Alliance and Treatment Motivation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05384808
• Other study ID #: 2022-00304
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 1, 2022
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2024

Study information

• Verified date: May 2023
• Source: University of Basel
• Contact: Karin Hediger, Prof. Dr.
• Phone: (+41) 061 207 65 80
• Email: karin.hediger[@]unibas.ch
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of the study is to investigate the needed extent and the way a dog is integrated into psychotherapeutic interventions for them to be motivating and alliance building for children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders aged 9 to 17 years old. Specifically, we want to elaborate if the dog needs to be integrated into the therapy in a form that it is part of the therapeutic context or if the presence of the dog without being part of the therapeutic context per se is beneficial.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 150
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2024
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 9 Years to 17 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 9 and 17 years

• Children are seeing the therapist for the first time

• Basic knowledge of child and parents in either German or English to be able to fill in questionnaires

• Informed consent given by legal guardian

• Positive or neutral attitude towards dogs

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute psychosis; early childhood autism

• fear of dogs

• allergic reactions to dogs

• reported aggressive behavior towards animals in the past

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Motivation

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Standard Psychotherapy
Participants receive a standard psychotherapy session with no dog being present.
• Canine-assisted psychotherapy with dog actively integrated.
A dog is present and actively integrated into the therapeutic narrative.
• Canine-assisted psychotherapy with dog passively integrated.
A dog is present but not actively integrated into the therapeutic narrative.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	University of Basel	Basel

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Basel

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Therapeutic alliance of patients	Patient's reported therapeutic alliance is measured after the first, the third and the fifth therapy session of a newly began psychotherapy using the german adaptation of the "Therapeutic Alliance Scales for Children" (TASC)". The TASC consists of 12 items, answered with a 4 point likert scale. The questionnaire assesses the therapeutic alliance from the perception of the child. Four weeks after the fifth therapy session children will be asked to fill in the questionnaire again as follow-up measurement.	9 weeks
Primary	Motivation of patients	Patient's reported motivation is measured after the first, the third and the fifth therapy session of a newly began psychotherapy using the "Situational Motivation Scale for children (SMS-15)". The SMS-15 consists of 15 items answered with a 7 point likert scale. Four weeks after the fifth therapy session, children will be asked to fill in the questionnaire again as follow-up measurement.	9 weeks
Secondary	Treatment satisfaction of patients	Treatment satisfaction of children is measured after the fifth therapy session as well as four weeks after as follow up using the "treatment assessment questionnaire (FBB)". The FBB consists of 20 items answered with a 5 point likert scale.	4 weeks
Secondary	Number of missed sessions	Number of missed sessions and drop-outs will be documented for each child participating in the study.	5 weeks