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Companion Animals in Human Health
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Companion Animals in Human Health

Edited by:
  • Cindy C. Wilson - Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, USA
  • Dennis C. Turner - Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology, Hirzel, Switzerland

October 1997 | 328 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Exactly how do animals affect their companion humans' quality of life? The 7th International Conference on Animals, Health, and Quality of Life set out to explore this question. A major result of this quest was Companion Animals in Human Health, a careful selection of jurored and invited papers from that conference. The articles address human animal interaction (HAI) according to the elements that define quality of life: physical, mental/emotional, and social health; functional health; and general well-being. Beginning with an overview of human animal interaction from historical and value perspectives, the authors develop a conceptual framework for HAI research and quality of life measurement. They then go on to explore the psychosocial and physiological impact of HAI. The concluding sections address the role of companion animals in human development and the training and welfare of animals in therapeutic programs.

As a state-of-the-science document, Companion Animals in Human Health is must reading for all health and social science professionals caring for clients who already have companion animals or for clients who might benefit from such interaction and thus will be of interest to those in the fields of clinical psychology, cognition, developmental psychology, family studies, gerontology, nursing, patient care, psychology, public health, and sociology.


Cindy C Wilson
Introduction
 
PART ONE: HISTORICAL AND VALUE PERSPECTIVE
Thomas Garrity and Lorann Stallones
Effects of Pet Contact on Human Well-Being
Linda Hines and Maureen Fredrickson
Perspectives on Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy
Jane Copeland-Fitzpatrick and Jean Tebay
Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding
An International Review

 
 
PART TWO: BEYOND HEALTH: EXTENDING THE DEFINITION OF HEALTH TO QUALITY OF LIFE
Cindy C Wilson
A Conceptual Framework for Human-Animal Interaction Research
The Challenge Revisited

 
Ivan Barofsky and Andrew Rowan
Models for Measuring Quality of Life
Implications for Human-Animal Interaction Research

 
 
PART THREE: QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES: PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN ANIMAL INTERACTIONS
Cindy C Wilson
Introduction
Glyn Collis and June McNicholas
A Theoretical Basis for Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
Attachment versus Psychological Support

 
Carolyn P Keil
Loneliness, Stress and Human-Animal Attachment among Older Adults
Sandra Lookabaugh Triebenbacher
The Relationship between Attachment to Companion Animals and Self-Esteem
A Development Perspective

 
Melanie Steffens and Reinhold Bergler
Blind People and their Dogs
An Empirical Study on Changes in Everyday Life, in Self-Experience and in Communication

 
 
PART FOUR: QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES: THE RELEVANCE OF ANIMALS TO CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Cindy C Wilson
Introduction
Warwick Anderson and Anthony Dart
Animals and Cardiovascular Health
June McNicholas and Glyn Collis
Could Type A (Coronary Prone) Personality Explain the Association between Pet Ownership and Health?
Erika Friedmann
Pet Ownership, Social Support and One Year Survival after Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression
Kathryn Batson et al
The Effect of a Therapy Dog on Socialization and Physiological Indicators of Stress in Person's Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease
 
PART FIVE: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: AGE SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES
Cindy C Wilson
Introduction
Gail Melson
The Role of Companions Animals in Human Development
Nancy M Bodmer
Impact of Pet Ownership on the Well-Being of Adolescents with Few Familial Resources
 
PART SIX: ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY PROGRAMS: DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS WHICH IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE
Cindy C Wilson
Introduction
Susan Duncan
The Importance of Training Standards and Policy for Service Animals
Robert Hubrecht and Dennis C Turner
Companion Animal Welfare in Private and Institutional Settings

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