title: Use of animal-assisted therapy with psychiatric patients.
abstract: The use of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as an adjunct treatment approach in psychiatric settings has received much attention in the literature. This article explores the use of AAT with psychiatric patients. The authors performed a literature review and found that AAT can have a significant effect on the improvement of psychiatric patients' socialization and provides a variety of psychological benefits. Nurses can benefit from learning about the potential benefits of AAT for psychiatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Northern Illnois University School of Nursing and Health Studies, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA. rossetti@niu.edu
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004285:Dogs; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D012951:Socialization