The Role of Animal Assisted Intervention on Improving Self-Esteem in Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Sabrina E B Schuck; Heather L Johnson; Maryam M Abdullah; Annamarie Stehli; Aubrey H Fine; Kimberley D Lakes

doi:10.3389/fped.2018.00300

The Role of Animal Assisted Intervention on Improving Self-Esteem in Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Front Pediatr. 2018 Nov 2:6:300. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00300. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Sabrina E B Schuck¹, Heather L Johnson², Maryam M Abdullah³, Annamarie Stehli¹, Aubrey H Fine⁴, Kimberley D Lakes⁵

Affiliations

¹ Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States.
² School Psychology, College of Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
³ Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.
⁴ Education, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, United States.
⁵ Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States.

Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the most ubiquitous mental health problem in children, has been associated with poor self-esteem. Psychosocial interventions have aimed to improve self-esteem among this group, with the aim of reducing the development of comorbid depression and anxiety. The present study implemented a randomized control design to examine the possibility of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) as a viable approach to improving self-esteem among children with ADHD. Children's self-esteem across multiple domains as measured by the Self-Perception Profile for Children was evaluated (n = 80, ages 7-9, 71% male). To test the hypothesis that AAI improves self-esteem, stratified Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests (SAS NPAR1WAY procedure) were used to compare pre- to post-treatment ratings. Analyses indicated that scores of children's self-perceptions in the domains of behavioral conduct, social, and scholastic competence, were significantly increased from baseline to post-treatment in the AAI group (z = 2.320, p = .021, z = 2.631, p = .008, and z = 2.541, p = .011, respectively), whereas pre-post-treatment differences in self-perceptions were not found for the children in the control group without AAI. Findings suggest that AAI is a viable strategy for improving ratings of self-perceived self-esteem in children with ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; Animal Assisted Intervention; Human Animal Interaction; school-based interventions; self-awareness; self-esteem; social skills training; therapy dogs.