Differences between Female and Male Inmates in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in Austria: Do We Need Treatment Programs Specific to the Needs of Females in AAT?

With the growth of female inmates worldwide, research regarding specific treatment of these has become more important. Although new programs have been started, the lack of scientific results is startling. The goal of the current study was to identify differences between participants from the men's and women's section in a specialized prison for criminal offenders suffering from substance dependence syndrome regarding the effects of dog-assisted group therapy. Therefore, 81 incarcerated participants (50 male, 31 female) took part in a dog-assisted group therapy targeting socio-emotional competencies. Self-report questionnaires to measure self-concept (SDQ-III), emotional status (EMI-B) and emotional competencies (SEE) were employed. Statistical analysis included General Linear Model (GLM) procedures and η2 as concurrent effect size measure. Results demonstrate that participants from the women's ward tend to benefit significantly less from the dog-assisted group therapy in most measured areas than men, especially in terms of their emotional status (e.g., aggressiveness) and emotional competencies (e.g., emotion regulation). Treatment programs specific to the needs of women might be a future challenge for practitioners and researchers in AAT.

Feminization and Stress in the Veterinary Profession: a Systematic Diagnostic Approach and Associated Management.

Within the field of veterinary medicine the gender distribution has changed, since most graduates are now females. Studies show that female veterinarians represent a vulnerable group for stress and stress-related illnesses. The goal of the study was to identify typical profiles of stress management strategies and to clarify if vets are well-equipped to cope with occupational stressors. Within a cross-sectional design 78 female veterinarians from Austria and Germany were surveyed using a self-report test-battery assessing twenty different coping styles. Statistical analysis included one sample t-tests and Cohen`s d as a concurrent effect size measure. The results showed that female veterinarians are significantly more likely to use negative coping styles for their stress e.g. rumination (t(74) = 6.733, p = < 0.001, d = 0.726) or escapism (t(72) = 2.173, p = 0.033, d = 0.281) when compared to the norm population. Amongst other studies these findings contribute to a systematic diagnosis which is necessary for the development and implementation of standardized stress management interventions for the veterinary education and training e.g. courses for improving communication and stress management skills and regular supervision or intervision (exchange with professional peers). Due to existing stigmatization concerning mental health, low-barrier counseling services should be provided for veterinarians who already feel stressed.

And in the Middle of My Chaos There Was You?-Dog Companionship and Its Impact on the Assessment of Stressful Situations.

Recent studies show evidence that human-dog companionship has healthy effects on humans. For example, findings demonstrate that owning a dog leads to a reduction in stress levels. Aspects that have not been taken into consideration so far are underlying theoretical principles of stress like the sense of coherence (SOC) by Aaron Antonovsky. The SOC consists of psycho-social, biochemical and physical conditions which indicate whether or not inner and outer stimuli are comprehensive, manageable and meaningful to an individual. In addition, it is still unclear if owning a dog affects the subjective assessment of critical life events (CLE), which is associated with the strength of the SOC (the stronger the SOC, the better the handling and assessment of stressful situations). Based on these aspects, the goal of the study was to examine if dog ownership, as well as values of the SOC, have an impact on the subjective evaluation of CLE (including daily hassles as well as unexpected critical life events). For this purpose, dog owners and non-dog owners were surveyed online and were compared based on their personal estimations regarding these constructs. Statistical analysis including t-tests, correlations and interaction-analyses were performed and a significant difference between dog owners and non-dog owners regarding the assessment of daily hassles was found. Contrary to expectations, results show that dog owners assessed daily stressors to be more stressful than non-dog owners did. Moreover, data show that the higher the number of stated relationships (inner- and cross-species), the more stressful life events were assessed to be. Calculations showed no evidence for the influence of dogs regarding the SOC. Based on the actual findings, it might be assumed, that an overestimation of the dog's protective role regarding stress has taken place in public media and in research as well.