Use of Animals in the Rehabilitation of Psychiatric Inpatients

This study compared the impact of therapy and activity groups on two matched groups of 8 and 9 psychiatric inpatients. Daily sessions of the groups were held for 11 wk. in identical rooms except for the presence of caged finches in one of the rooms. The patients were evaluated before and after the sessions using standard psychiatric rating scales. The group who met in the room that contained animals (a cage with four finches) had significantly better attendance and participation and significantly improved in areas assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Other positive trends indicated that the study should be replicated with larger samples and modified to increase interactions with the animals.