New Research to Study Impacts of Animal-Assisted Interventions for Youth in Residential Treatment Program | HABRI

New Research to Study Impacts of Animal-Assisted Interventions for Youth in Residential Treatment Program

Human Animal Bond Research Institute Awards Grant to Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver

Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2020) — The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a grant to the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver for a new study, Exploring the impacts of animal-assisted interventions on positive youth development for adolescents in residential treatment. The study aims to better understand the clinical, behavioral and educational impacts of the Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) programs at Green Chimneys, a therapeutic school and treatment center for children facing social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.

“In conducting this study, we hope to better understand the impacts of the Green Chimneys AAI programs on student outcomes from the perspectives of the students who regularly participate in them,” explained the study’s Principal Investigator, Kevin Morris, PhD, Director of Research of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver. “The findings from this project will be combined with an array of other qualitative and quantitative studies underway at Green Chimneys, which we hope will create a more detailed understanding of the impacts of these programs.”

The research team, led by Dr. Morris and Dr. Megan Mueller, Co-Director of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, and including Erin Flynn, MSW, and Jaci Gandenberger, MSW, both from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, will conduct semi-structured interviews with 20 5th-7th grade Green Chimneys students across both residential and day programs. After conducting the interviews, key themes will be identified and reviewed for common meanings and then grouped together via identified constitutive content that links the themes to one another. These student themes will be combined with the findings of previous qualitative studies conducted with Green Chimneys teaching, clinical and animal program staff to create a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms by which the animal-assisted interventions impact specific clinical and educational goals. Researchers will also identify gaps in perceptions between student and staff groups that can be used to inform and optimize how the programs are utilized and studied. The goal of the study is to gather contextually rich information from multiple, unique perspectives on how the AAIs impact student self-regulation skills and positive youth development.

“Green Chimneys has a long history of being a model for therapeutic human-animal bond programs,” said HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman. “In studying Green Chimneys, we hope to help inform the wider field of AAI by identifying potential clinical outcomes for positive youth development that can be applied in other youth development programs that incorporate companion animals.”

About Institute for Human-Animal Connection

The Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) at the Graduate School of Social Work intentionally elevates the value of the living world and the interrelationship and health of people, other animals and the environment. They accomplish this through natural and social science-informed education, applied knowledge, research and advocacy, with an ethical regard for all species. socialwork.du.edu/humananimalconnection

About HABRI

HABRI is a not-for-profit organization that maintains the world’s largest online library of human-animal bond research and information; funds innovative research projects to scientifically document the health benefits of companion animals; and informs the public about human-animal bond research and the beneficial role of companion animals in society. For more information, please visit www.habri.org.

Contact

Jamie Baxter

jamie@theimpetusagency.com

775.322.4022

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