LH Canine Therapy Study

NCT05840198 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB22-1104
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 48
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

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 youth institutionalized for behavioral and emotional problems. We are using two study sites, Lawrence Hall and Lydia Home, both Chicago-based residential treatment centers for youth with behavioral and emotional problems, many of whom have experienced child maltreatment and trauma. Comparisons will be made to a matched sample of youth from Lawrence Hall and Lydia Home receiving treatment as usual. 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 intervention session

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Attendance and Attrition

  Aggregated across the 6-week intervention program

• Change in Positive Affect

  Change from the beginning to the end of each of the 6 intervention session.

• Significant Event Report

  Aggregated across the 6-week intervention program

• Change in Attitudes towards Pets

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

Study Arms (2)

Active intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Half of youth will be assigned to the active Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy intervention arm.

Behavioral: Recovery & Care Canine-Assisted Therapy

Waitlist control

OTHER

Half of youth will receive treatment as usual.

Other: Treatment as usual

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.

Active intervention

Treatment as usual OTHER

Youth in this condition receive treatment as usual from their health care providers

Waitlist control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Youth must be receiving in-patient services at Lawrence Hall or Lydia Home
• Youth must provide informed assent.
• Youth must complete at least one of the primary outcomes during the baseline assessment.
• Youth must remain in residential care for the duration of the 6-week intervention.
• Youth assigned to the Recovery \& Care intervention group must attend at least one of the 6 sessions.

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chicago: lead
• Canine Therapy Corps: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Lawrence Hall Child & Family Treatment Center

Chicago, Illinois, 60625, United States

RECRUITING

Lydia Home

Evanston, Illinois, 60202, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emotional Regulation; Mental Disorders

Interventions

Salvage Therapy; Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Control; Social Behavior; Behavior

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: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2023
• First Posted: May 3, 2023
• Study Start: May 24, 2023
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: August 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Locations

US (2)