[Ethics in Swiss equestrian sports: Is animal welfare adequately implemented?] / Ethik im Schweizer Pferdesport: Wird der Tierschutz auf Schweizer Turnierplätzen ausreichend umgesetzt?

INTRODUCTION: Animal welfare in equestrian sports is a very current and important topic for animal right groups as well as for the Swiss association for equestrian sports "Schweizerischer Verband für Pferdesport (SVPS)". The penalty commission "Sanktionskomission (SAKO)" of the SVPS reported only few to none cases of infringements of animal welfare provision on horses at a time in the past few years. This fact was criticised several times by different animal right groups in Switzerland. Therefore a survey was sent in 2017 to 544 active officials (horse show judges) of the SVPS. Overall, 146 answered questionnaires could be evaluated. The evaluation of the survey was able to confirm the statement of the animal right groups that the number of infringements of animal welfare provision is much higher than the number -handled by the SAKO. Altogether, 203 offences which are relevant in animal welfare were observed by the officials who participated in this survey in 2017. In contrast to these findings, no handled cases of infringements in animal welfare provision were published in the annual report 2017 of the SAKO. 178 of the 203 offences observed by the officials were addressed and reprimanded directly on the showground. The most common incidents which are relevant in animal welfare named by the officials in the survey were inappropriate, aggressive behaviour of the rider or driver and rough handling with artificial aids. A considerable part of the officials feels that the animal welfare situation on Swiss equestrian showgrounds is unsatisfying. An improvement of animal protection in Swiss equestrian sports can be achieved by raising the awareness for this topic of the officials as well as the equestrians and horse owners.

INTRODUCTION: La protection des animaux dans les sports équestres est un sujet d'actualité très important tant pour les organisations de protection des animaux que pour Fédération suisse des Sports Equestres (FSSE). La Commission des sanctions de la FSSE n'a eu à traiter que peu ou pas de cas d'infractions aux dispositions relatives au bien-être animal sur les chevaux au cours des dernières années. Ce fait a été critiqué à plusieurs reprises par différentes associations de protection des animaux en Suisse. Par conséquent, un sondage a été envoyé en 2017 à 544 officiels actifs (juges de concours, constructeurs de parcours) de la FSSE. Au total, 146 réponses aux questionnaires ont pu être évaluées. L'évaluation de l'enquête a permis de confirmer l'affirmation des organisations de protection des animaux selon laquelle le nombre d'atteintes au bien-être des animaux est plus élevé que celui traité par la SAKO. Au total, 203 comportements concernant la protection des animaux ont été constatés en 2017par les 146 officiels qui ont participé à cette enquête. Aucun cas traité d'infraction aux dispositions relatives au bien-être animal n'a été publié dans le rapport annuel 2017 de la Commission des sanctions. 178 des 203 infractions constatées par les officiels ont été relevées et réprimandées directement sur la place de concours. Les incidents les plus fréquents concernant le bien-être des animaux, cités par les responsables de l'enquête, étaient un comportement agressif inapproprié du cavalier et une utilisation brutale avec des aides artificielles et des moyens auxiliaires. Une grande partie des officiels estiment que la situation du bien-être animal sur les places de concours équestres suisses peut encore être améliorée. Pour cela il est particulièrement important de faire preuve d'un courage suffisant pour intervenir lorsqu'une situation problématique est observée. Une sensibilisation permanente des officiels ainsi que des cavaliers et des détenteurs de chevaux est également nécessaire.

The closing of forensic psychiatric hospitals in Italy: Determinants, current status and future perspectives. A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Italy is the only country in the world to have closed forensic psychiatric hospitals and converted to fully-residential services. The international interest around this reform has not been matched by research. This scoping review aims to report the determinants of the reform, the most updated information on how the system operates, its benefits and its challenges. We further aim to discuss the implications for policy, research and practice. METHODS: 1. Selection of relevant sources through electronic search on four databases, Google, relevant printed materials and personal communication with practitioners currently working in REMS. 2. Study quality monitoring. 3. Data extraction onto NVivo 4. Data synthesis through content analysis. RESULTS: 43 papers were selected for inclusion in our review. Two main themes were identified: 1. Historical chronology of the closure of forensic psychiatric hospitals; 2. The current model of residential forensic psychiatric care. CONCLUSIONS: The closing down of Italian forensic psychiatric hospitals represented a fundamental step for human rights. Further work is required to improve the current service, including potential reforming of the penal code, improved referral/admission processes and consistent monitoring to reduce service inequality across regions. Further research is crucial to test the effectiveness of the Italian model of care against traditional ones.

A pan-theoretical conceptualization of client involvement in psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The present paper attempts to differentiate client involvement from other, similar process variables and presents a pan-theoretical conceptualization of client involvement. METHOD: A modified Delphi poll was conducted with 20 experienced clinicians and researchers. In two rounds of data collection, the experts completed a questionnaire designed to elicit their feedback on whether a variety of involvement items were representative of our pan-theoretical definition of client involvement. RESULTS: The results of the survey provide insight into which types of client activities are good representations of client involvement. CONCLUSION: We propose that client involvement can be understood as being comprised of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional elements, and we provide concrete examples of these activities.