Scientists plan to investigate how and why contact with animals has a positive effect on humans. More knowledge in the area can contribute to optimising and focusing the effects.

Contact with animals has a positive effect on the mind. Therapy dogs are used to help children with psychological problems to improve their communication skills and handle physical contact better. Contact with horses helps build self-confidence, empathy and identification with others in young criminals. And horses are used to strengthen the psyche of children with learning disabilities and care failure.

Despite frequent use of animals in therapy, it is not clear or proven which mechanisms result in the positive effects that are seen. Ethologists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF) at the University of Aarhus intend to rectify that. At the end of this year they will begin a project in which they will take a closer look at the use of animals in therapy for children and young people with psychological problems.

The first aim is to create a network of ethologists, psychologists and care workers and to survey the prevalence and use of animals in therapy or treatment. The end goal is to set up a project that can clarify communication and interplay between humans and therapy animals. The knowledge obtained can be used to improve matchmaking between the right therapy animal and the person and his or her requirements for therapy or treatment.

- We would like to investigate which types of therapy are used, how the interaction is between animal and human, and how that interaction affects both the animal and the human, explains senior scientist Karen Thodberg from the Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition at DJF.

- With our experience in ethology we are able to quantify behaviour in animals and humans. We can use the same methods in the coming investigation, says Karen Thodberg.

The project is supported by funds from the Egmont Fund.

For further information please contact: Senior scientist Karen Thodberg, Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Aarhus, telephone: +45 8999 1323, e-mail: Karen.Thodberg@agrsci.dk

Foto: Lillian Møller. Copyright: Foto-arkiv.dk