Reduced anxiety during dog assisted interviews in acute schizophrenic patients

IntroductionAnxiety is a core feature of schizophrenia and the creation of a non-threatening atmosphere is essential in acute psychiatric therapy. Domesticated dogs provide feelings of safety, well-being and comfort. Several authors hypothesized that dogs decrease stress and anxiety.Materials and methodsIn this pre- and post-treatment controlled crossover study, we measured state anxiety with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in 14 acute schizophrenic patients.ResultSTAI was reduced after an interview with the presence of friendly dogs when compared to the control interview situation (F = 106.19; df = 1; p < 0.0001).ConclusionThis finding suggests that the assistance of dogs reduces anxiety in a clinically relevant dimension in acute schizophrenic patients.