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The Animals and Society Chair of the Rey Juan Carlos University was created with the aim of launching and developing research activities within the field of animal welfare, and the link between these and people. Through this, health programs with animals are promoted as mediators in interventions.
This time, hand in hand with the Entrecanes association, they have launched the "Creando Lazos" project, an idea that will serve for dog-assisted therapy for people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.
Started in the Association of Relatives and People with Mental Illness of Asturias (Afesa) in group sessions, during the analysis phase, an improvement in the prosocial behavior of the participants has already been perceived, reducing their levels of anxiety and stress in life daily. Something that confirms the benefits of Animal Assisted Intervention in improving the quality of life of people with mental illness.
It is estimated that in Spain there are 11 million people who have suffered some type of mental illness at some point in their lives, something that has increased after the pandemic. For this reason, from the Chair of Animals and Society of the URJC, they want to value this type of intervention. Since apart from serving to improve depression or anxiety, it can improve psychotic disorders, which affects up to 0,7% of the Spanish population.
“We started working on this project because we observed how various previous studies confirmed the multiple benefits that the inclusion of a dog entails for these people, increasing their perception of trust in the therapeutic team when it is accompanied by this animal, favoring behaviors of self-care, autonomy and relaxation, promoting social interactions within group sessions and improving their moods and self-esteem", comments Nuria Máximo, director of the Chair of Animals and Society.
To learn more about the Chair's projects or activities, or simply to expand information, you will find everything in the web page or in your social media.