Animal-assisted Trauma-focused Therapy for Children and Adolescents
The study aims to investigate how the inclusion of an animal into a trauma-focused group therapy program (TF-CBT) affects therapy motivation of children and adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress. 80 children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years are recruited for the study. Participants must have experienced at
| Condition(s) | Motivation, Alliance, Therapeutic |
|---|---|
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | NA |
| Study type | Interventional |
| Summary | The study aims to investigate how the inclusion of an animal into a trauma-focused group therapy program (TF-CBT) affects therapy motivation of children and adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress. 80 children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years are recruited for the study. Participants must have experienced at least one traumatic event leading to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups: animal-assisted trauma-focused therapy (AA TF-CBT) or standard trauma-focused therapy (TF-CBT). Parallel to the groups the parents/guardians of the participating children and adolescents take part in three parent meetings. The results of the study help to gain insights into how the inclusion of animals in trauma-focused psychotherapy can contribute t |
| Who can participate | Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 9 and 17 years * experienced a traumatic event * remembers at least one traumatic event * Suffering from posttraumatic stress symptoms (screened via the CATS-2; cut-off ≥ 21; cut-off must be reached by either participant or caregiver) * Basic knowledge of child and parents in German to be able to understand content of the session and to fill in questionnaires * Informed consent (given by legal guardian for participants younger than 14 years) * Positive or neutral attitude towards animals Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to complete questionnaires due to lack of language skills or cognitive impairment * Diagnosed autism spectrum disorder; Exclusion only if interaction with others and group ability is limited due to autism * Reported significant impairment or |
| Ages | 9 Years to 17 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Lead sponsor | University of Basel |
| Locations | Basel, Switzerland; Zurich, Switzerland |
| Start date | 2022-10-01 |
| NCT ID | NCT05608551 |
| Official listing | https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05608551 |