“We need them as much as they need us”: A systematic review of the qualitative evidence for possible mechanisms of effectiveness of animal-assisted intervention (AAI)

The results of these studies suggest that AAI was viewed as a positive and highly accepted intervention across populations and settings. AAI might be a useful intervention among people who suffer from a variety of mental disorders. All themes consistently demonstrated that contact with a live animal is more important than the appearance of the animal. Additional investigations of AAI treatment mechanisms are needed.