Title: Urinary Oxytocin Levels in Children Receiving Animal-Assisted Therapy

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT06414876

Enrollment

Registered

2024-05-16

Start date

2016-02-02

Completion date

2017-05-24

Last updated

2024-05-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Animal Assisted Therapy

Keywords

Children, Hospital, Oxytocin

Brief summary

There has been growing interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in recent decades due to increasing reports indicating its health benefits for adult patients. These benefits are partly attributed to changes, usually increased levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin. Aim: To investigate changes in oxytocin levels in hospitalized children during animal-assisted therapy sessions with a certified hospital dog. Method: Urine samples were collected from 35 hospitalized children (3-17 years) before and after each participant had a session with the hospital dog. Oxytocin levels were analysed with an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Creatinine levels were measured to determine the subject's fluid intake and then divided by the hormonal concentration (uOT pg/mg).

Interventions

BEHAVIORALHospital dog

The hospital dog always has a well educated dog instructor beside.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

3 Years to 17 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Hospitalized children

Exclusion criteria

* Multiresistent bacteria * Immunosuppressed * Large burns

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in oxytocin levels	Day of enrollment	Concentration of oxytocin (pg/mg) in urine samples measured by ELISA.

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026