Depressive Symptoms, Human-Animal Interaction
Conditions
Keywords
Depressive Symptoms, Human-Animal Interaction, Animal-Assisted Interventions, Trust
Brief summary
Oxytocin has been proposed as a neuroendocrine mechanism that may mediate the relationship between dog ownership and positive health outcomes and be linked to human-dog interactions and is thought to be a mechanism of interspecies bonding. While the role of oxytocin in human bonding behaviours and social behaviour, in general, is becoming well-established the role of oxytocin in human-animal interaction and Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) remains unclear. This research gap calls for more high-quality research investigating this possible neuroendocrine underlying mechanism to advance knowledge about AAI. If oxytocin indeed might be involved in interspecies bonding, intranasally administered oxytocin should not only enhance trust toward a human but also towards a dog.
Interventions
DRUGOxytocin nasal spray
Syntocinon nose spray is usually applied in the context of labour and breast feeding. In this study, however, it will be used to induce an oxytocin (OT) release. Participants will apply three sprays in each nostril which will result in a dose of 24 I.U of oxytocin per participant
The dogs involved in the study are trained and used to work with different people in animal-assisted interventions. The dog will be familiarized with the room and the material as well as the staff of the study. The dog will be specifically trained for this study. The dog will be involved for a maximum of 3 sessions per day (approx. 20 minutes in total) and 2 days per week.
DRUGPlacebo
The placebo nose spray contains a saltwater solution and will be applied like the Syntocinon nose spray containing oxytocin.
Sponsors
Dr. Karin Hediger
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age ≥ 18 years * Signed informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Pregnancy * Being scared of dogs or dog hair allergy by self-report * Any acute or chronic disease (e.g., chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, renal disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, skin pathologies etc.) * Current medications (psychoactive medication, narcotics, intake of analgesics) or being currently in psychological or psychiatric treatment * Drug consumption (THC, cocaine, heroin, etc.) within the past 24h before study appointment * Ongoing psychotherapy treatment * Sexual Intercourse within the past 24h before study appointment * Current disease involving respiratory system (e.g., influence, asthma etc.) * Insufficient German language skills to understand the instructions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trust in the therapist | immediately after the intervention | The main outcome is trust in the therapist, measured by the Trust and Respect Scale. The current questionnaire contains 8 items, four for trust and four for respect. Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree), of which 4 are formulated negatively. High values indicate high trust toward the therapist for the positively framed items, and for the negatively framed items low values mean high trust toward the therapist. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| perceived emotional closeness to the dog | immediately after the intervention | The Coleman Dog Attitude Scale (C-DAS) is a reliable and validated measure designed to assess attitudes towards dogs. The C-DAS is a 24-item self-report measure with an alpha ranging from 0.98 to 0.99. |
| perceived stress | pre-intervention | The secondary outcome perceived stress will be measured with a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The following extremes will be used: no stress to extreme stress. High values indicate that participants perceive a lot of stress. |
| level of difficulty | immediately after the intervention | The secondary outcome level of difficulty in talking about a selected stressful event will be measured with a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The following extremes will be used: no difficulty to extreme difficulty. High values indicate that participants find it extremely difficult to talk about a selected stressful event. |
| Trust in the dog | immediately after the intervention | The secondary outcome trust in the dog will be measured with a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The following extremes will be used: no trust to complete trust. High values indicate high trust in the dog. |
| therapeutic climate | immediately after the intervention | Therapy Session Questionnaire (in German Therapiesitzungsbogen für Patienten und Therapeuten) will be used to assess the secondary outcome of therapeutic climate. The current questionnaire contains 20 items. Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale (-3 = not at all to +3 = yes, exactly). High values indicate a good therapeutic climate. |
| psychological flexibility | pre-intervention | The secondary outcome psychological flexibility will be measured with the psychological flexibility questionnaire (Psy-Flex). The Psy-Flex questionnaire consists of six items, which are representative for the six skills. Items are rated on a Likert scale (5 = very often to 1 = very rarely) and are then summed up. Higher scores represent higher psychological flexibility. |
| therapeutic alliance | immediately after the intervention | The Therapy Session Questionnaire (in German Therapiesitzungsbogen für Patienten und Therapeuten) will be used to assess the secondary outcome of therapeutic alliance. The current questionnaire contains 20 items. Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale (-3 = not at all to +3 = yes, exactly). High values indicate high therapeutic alliance. |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
Primary ContactKarin Hediger, Prof. Dr.
Backup ContactElena Pauli, MSc
Outcome results
None listed