Condit, Angela, author2007-01-032007-01-032010http://hdl.handle.net/10217/67335The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of animal-assisted intervention on reducing depression and loneliness among older adults residing in a long-term care facility. Forty-eight residents from one long-term care facility in a northern Colorado city participated in the study. Subjects who met established criteria completed the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS - 30) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The subjects were randomly distributed into a control or an experimental group. Both groups received usual care; but the experimental group also received the animal assisted intervention for 15 minutes each week for a 12-week period. At the end of the twelve weeks, both groups were given the GDS-30 and the UCLA Loneliness Scales as post-tests. The results of the pre- and post-tests were analyzed using paired samples <italic>t</italic>-tests, which showed a statistically significant reduction in both depression and loneliness for the treatment and control groups. To determine if there were differences between groups, independent samples t-tests using gain scores were conducted. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups on the depression and loneliness measures. The findings show that animal-assisted activity (AAA) intervention is associated with decreased levels of depression and loneliness among the elderly in long-term care facilities who choose to participate in AAA. Implications for social work practice and future research were identified.masters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.Animals -- Therapeutic useDepression in old ageNursing home patientsText