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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06025539

Animal-assisted Resilience Training for Children With Stressful Life Events or Autism Spectrum Disorder

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of an animal-assisted resilience training in children who experienced stressful life events or who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The main question it aims to answer is:

• Is an animal-assisted resilience training a feasible approach to increase resilience in children with a history of stressful life events or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?

Participants will take part in 12 training sessions of a standardized resilience training. The training is group-based, takes place outdoors, and includes interactions with different animals. It focuses on self-esteem, self-perception, dealing with emotions, and social competence.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Life Change Events Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

2 year–12 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Basel

Basel, 4055, Switzerland

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 2 and 4 years (toddler group) or 8 and 12 years (children group)
  • History of at least one stressful life event experience OR diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
  • Basic knowledge of either German or English of parents and child to follow the instructions during the training sessions and completion of interviews.

Exclusion criteria

  • Medical contraindications for contact with animals, such as allergies or phobia

Treatment and study plan

Animal-assisted resilience training

Behavioral

Participants take part in 12 sessions (120 minutes each), each session focuses on a topic that is related to resilience. The intervention takes part outdoors on a farm, and includes interactions with several different animals. The training takes place in small groups, and includes exercises, observations, and discussions.

Primary outcomes

  1. Questionnaire on resources in childhood and adolescence

    Time frame: 18 weeks

    Pre-to-post assessment changes in resilience

Secondary outcomes

  1. Questionnaire to assess emotion regulation in children and adolescents

    Time frame: 18 weeks

    Pre-to-post assessment changes in emotion regulation

  2. Number of attended sessions

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Number of attended sessions over the course of the training

  3. Feeling secure and motivation to participate as measured on a 0-10 scale

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Motivation and feeling secure as measured at the beginning and end of each session

  4. Intervention satisfaction as assessed in semi-structured interview

    Time frame: 18 weeks (follow-up)

    Satisfaction with program content and structure, as measured by qualitative interview

  5. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

    Time frame: 18 weeks

    Pre-to-post assessment changes in peer-relationship problems and prosocial behavior measures

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of an Animal-assisted Resilience Training for Children With a History of Stressful Life Events or a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Acronym: AART

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 6, 2023
Registry last updated
May 4, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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