The effect of pet therapy on the stress and social anxiety levels of disabled children: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Pet therapy is an effective method in reducing stress and anxiety levels in the treatment and care of children. This study aimed to determine the effects of pet therapy on the stress and social anxiety levels of physically disabled children. METHOD: This study was a single-blind randomized controlled experimental study with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up design. The study was carried out between November 2019 and September 2020 in two separate Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers with a total of 44 physically disabled children, 23 in the control and 21 in the intervention group, who met the inclusion criteria. The NCT number of this study is NCT04231799. The data of the study were obtained through Personal Information Form (PIF), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Social Anxiety in Children Scale-Revised Version (SACS-R) and blood pressure measurements. A pet therapy program was applied to the intervention group. Apart from the standard training given in the rehabilitation center, no intervention was made on the control group RESULTS: After the pet therapy program intervention, it was found that there was a decrease in the mean PSS and SACS-R scores of the children in the intervention group, and this decrease was significant compared to the individuals in the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that the pet therapy program was an effective intervention in reducing the stress and social anxiety levels of the physically disabled children.