Feasibility of a Dog Training Therapy Program in UC Outpatient Youth Receiving Psychiatric Services

NCT05788783 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB22-1218
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 48
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this pilot project is to test for initial efficacy of the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy program that has been developed and implemented in Lawrence Hall, a Chicago-based residential treatment center for maltreated youth. In this study, the investigators test the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term efficacy of expanding the program to a group of youth currently in outpatient treatment for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Results from this project will provide preliminary evidence of whether a structured, goal-oriented intervention program focused on dog training activities has direct impact on increasing youth emotional self-regulation, impulse control, and self-efficacy, which are important targets for intervention among youth with mental health problems. If successful, this project could lead to a larger, randomized control clinical trials study that tests the longitudinal impact of the program that could further lead to national dissemination of the Recovery \& Care curriculum as an alternative therapeutic approach.

Conditions

Emotion Regulation; Behavioral Disorder; Self Esteem

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Emotional Stroop

  Computer-Assisted task assessing affect regulation

  Up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Emotional Stroop

  Computer-Assisted task assessing affect regulation

  Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention

• Flanker Task

  Computer-Assisted task assessing attention \& inhibitory control

  Up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Flanker Task

  Computer-Assisted task assessing attention \& inhibitory control

  Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention

• Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

  10-item self-report scale assessing self-esteem. Higher scores are better outcomes

  Up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

  10-item self-report scale assessing self-esteem. Higher scores are better outcomes

  Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Negative Affect

  In addition to overall change in outcomes post intervention, we are also interested in whether each intervention session produces an immediate change in youth emotion. We will assess negative affect using 5 self-report items on current mood from positive and negative affect scale. Higher scores are worse outcomes.

  Change from the beginning to the end of each of the 6 weekly intervention sessions

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Pearson Social Skills Rating Scales -Positive social behaviors

  Up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Pearson Social Skills Rating Scales -Positive social behaviors

  Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention

• Pearson Social Skills Rating Scales -Externalizing behaviors

  Up to 1-month post-intervention

• Change in Pearson Social Skills Rating Scales -Externalizing behaviors

  Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention

• Attendance and Attrition

  Aggregated across the 6-week intervention program

Study Arms (2)

Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL

Active intervention. Youth will be assigned to the active Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy intervention arm.

Behavioral: Recovery & Care Canine-Assisted Therapy

Active control

OTHER

Active control intervention. Youth will be assigned to the active Canine Education \& Bonding arm.

Other: Canine Education & Bonding

Interventions

Recovery & Care Canine-Assisted Therapy BEHAVIORAL

Active intervention. An 6-week session of structured, goal-oriented activities where youth focus on mastering dog obedience and dog training skills. Each session is 1 hour and 15 minutes in length and includes education, review of prior sessions, and specific skill-building activities. Skill-building activities progress in complexity during the course of the 6-week curriculum.

Experimental

Canine Education & Bonding OTHER

Active control intervention. An 6-week session of semi-structured activities. Sessions are 45 minutes in length. Youth in this condition engage in an educational component, passive observation of dog-training skills, and an active free-play session with the dog-handler teams.

Active control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Currently receiving outpatient mental health services at the University of Chicago or have received outpatient mental health services from the community in the last 12 months.
• Available for scheduling during the entire 6-week intervention program
• Interest in participating in the program

You may not qualify if:

• Severe cognitive, psychiatric, or physical condition or limitation that would prevent participation.
• Severe animal allergy
• Animal phobia
• History of mistreatment of animals.
• Above-average scores on both measures of behavioral regulation and emotional regulation
• WASI t-score of intellectual ability \< 60.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chicago: lead
• Canine-Therapy Corp: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emotional Regulation; Mental Disorders

Interventions

Salvage Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Control; Social Behavior; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics

Central Study Contacts

Kristen Jacobson, PhD

CONTACT

773-834-0265; kjacobso@bsd.uchicago.edu

Jennifer A Ponting

CONTACT

773-702-8669; io-ura@uchicago.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2023
• First Posted: March 29, 2023
• Study Start: February 26, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: August 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Locations

US (1)