• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.1443-1452
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the multimodal group intervention that combined animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and integrated play therapy (IPT) on depression and self-esteem in undergraduate university students. The subjects were 40 students attending animal-related and social welfare departments of universities located in a metropolitan city. The multimodal intervention program was conducted for eight sessions (twice a week, 60 min each) in the experimental group. Data analysis was conducted using the independent sample t-test, ANCOVA, and paired sample t-test for pre- and post-test. Therefore, the multimodal intervention program applying AAT and IPT showed positive effects on depression and self-esteem in university students. Based on these results, this study proposed the operation of multidisciplinary education and practical and policy utilization methods to reduce depression among university students and help improve their self-esteem.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.379-387
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of a group integrated intervention program that simultaneously conducts cognitive activities, physical activities, emotional activities and social interactions by integrating animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and integrated elderly play therapy based on the cognitive functions and depression of the elderly who live alone. This study follows a pre-test post-test design with a nonequivalent control group, to verify the effectiveness of a group integrated intervention. It applies a group integrated intervention program to 20 elderly people who live alone, aged 65 and above (10 in the experimental group, 10 in the control group), once a week for 90 minutes across eight weeks. The study went through MMSE-K, TMT-A and GDSSF-A to assess cognitive functions and the level of depression. The group integrated intervention increased the cognitive functions of the experimental group and decreased levels of depression. Therefore, this study verified that a group integrated intervention program of AAT and integrated play therapy of the elderly, is an effective for increasing cognitive functions and decreasing depression levels of the elderly who live alone. Based on these findings, the study suggests that there is a need to continuously expand group integrated intervention programs and provide relevant political support.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1111-1123
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• 2023

This study aims to present a more systematic and developmental research direction by classifying animal-mediation related research trends published in Korea. We analyzed the research trends of 68 domestic animal-mediation programs published in 26 journals over the past 24 years under the premise of the necessity of animal-assisted therapy, which considered a very effective intervention method in the practice areas of various subjects. Therefore, this study examines the year of publication of animal-mediation related research conducted in various academic fields from 1998 to 2022, research data sources, characteristics of research subjects, types of interventions and research topics, research design and intervention sessions, intervention methods, and ethical consideration statements. The results of this study are as follows: First, in the source of research and research trends by year, the number of papers published in animal-related societies was the highest at 34 (50%); the number of studies has been steadily increasing since the mid-2000s. Second, regarding research trends by subject, 45 (66%) were general subjects, 23 (34%) were medically diagnosed, 60 (88%) were selected through pre-evaluation, and 8 (12%) were requested. Third, regarding research trends by method, 27 (40%) of the pretests were conducted before and after the experiment-control group, and only 3 (4%) of the 68 papers were examined later. Fourth, regarding research trends by content, depression (25%) was the most frequently applied variable, and regarding intervention sessions, 53 (78%) were less than 12 sessions. Fifth, regarding research trends and ethical consideration statements by treatment approach method, 58 cases (85%) of individual treatment approaches and 10 cases (15%) of intervention approaches integrated with individual treatment approaches, and 23 cases (34%) of studies with ethical consideration statements or the Institutional Review Board's (IRB) approval. Based on the study results, the implications and research directions of animal-assisted therapy related research are discussed.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.371-378
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group combined intervention that combined animal-assisted therapy and integrated elderly play therapy on the depression, self-esteem, and emotional expression of geriatric patients residing in nursing homes. This was achieved by providing cognitive, physical, and emotional activities and social interaction at the same time. The group combined intervention method was applied to twelve elderly patients (six in the control group, six in the experimental group) aged 65 or older who live in a nursing home for the elderly in C province, from May 3, 2019 to June 21, 2019, for a total of 8 times (once a week, 50 minutes at a time). The quantitative evaluation was analyzed through SPSS 21.0 for comparison before and after the program was implemented, using the Korean version of the depression and the self-esteem scale. The qualitative evaluation compared emotional expression pre-test and post-test. The major results of the study were as follows: First, the group combined intervention was effective in reducing depression levels of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Second, it was effective in improving the self-esteem of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Third, it showed a significant difference in the emotional expression of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Therefore, it was found that group combined intervention reduces depression and improves self-esteem and emotional expression of the elderly. Based on these results, it is hoped that this study will be a cornerstone in the development of concrete programs for the benefit of elderly patients living in facilities.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.372-379
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the service awareness perceived by 25 groups using animal-assisted intervention(AAI). Data collected were analyzed for variables on the effectiveness of AAI by using SPSS Win 25.0 statistical program. The study findings showed that AAI service is very effective for psychological meaning in both expecting purpose before and substantive effect after using AAI. They were satisfied with AAI generally, particularly in terms of participant engagement and differentiated services. Also, they perceived that the cost of AAI service is generally appropriate in consideration of activities with animals and satisfaction of participants but a bit expensive compared to other programs. Also, it was found that the value and the possibility of public expansion of AAI are very high and that the immersion and professionalism of the participants affect the effectiveness of AAI. The results of this study indicate that it is necessary to develop programs and verify effectiveness as a psychotherapy technique and are expected to be useful as basic data for establishing and developing a quality service of AAI.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.83-94
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• 2022

This study was attempted to systematically analysis the characteristics and effects of studies that applied animal assisted therapy to elementary students. Literature searches were conducted in 4 domestic academic databases(RISS, KISS, ScienceON, KMBASE). The characteristics of selected 26 studies were individually analyzed and described by publication year, research method, subject characteristics, intervention characteristics, and outcome variables, and the characteristics of the study were systematically summarized. The effect of the assisted therapy was divided into psychological-emotional effect, interpersonal effect, and other effect. Most of the psychological-emotional indicators and interpersonal relationship indicators were found to be effective, and inconsistent results were found for some indicators. It is expected that it can be used as a useful data when conducting assisted therapy studies targeting elementary school students in the future.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.182-190
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• 2021

Rehabilitation dog-walking can be used to improve physical activity and restore QOL in stroke patients. This study investigated the effect of rehabilitation dog-walking on the QOL and physical activity of stroke patients. Twenty-four stroke patients were recruited for this study. Twenty-four stroke patients were randomized 1:1 into two groups. The evaluator measured stroke specific-quality of life (SS-QOL), six minute walk test, and maximal grip strength on the affected and non-affected side. The experimental group received gait training with a rehabilitation dog for 30 minutes once a week for 8 weeks. As a result of the study, there was a significant increase in SS-QOL, six minute walk test, and maximal grip strength on the affected side in the experimental group after the intervention. In addition, the experimental group showed significant improvement in SS-QOL, six minute walk test, and maximal grip strength on the affected side than the control group. Rehabilitation dog-walking may be an intervention method that can improve QOL and physical activity after stroke.