about ad astra
Improving therapies to help support the treatment of mental health conditions is very important to the NHS. In England, one in six adults have a common mental health condition (e.g., anxiety), and over one in six children (6-16 years) have a probable mental health condition. Dog-Assisted Interventions (DAIs) include therapies or activities that involve a dog and are increasingly used in health, care and community settings with the goal of improving patients’ mental health and wellbeing.
Research shows DAIs have the potential to help people with a range of mental health conditions (e.g., schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder) and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder) to improve symptoms such as anxiety. However, existing research studies are commonly limited by methodological challenges, and resulting evidence is therefore often of low quality. At present, we are probably not gaining the full benefits of DAIs, because we do not understand enough about what works best for whom and when. DAIs that are offered currently vary widely and may pose risks to both human and dog partners, because practice is not based on good evidence.
AD ASTRA is about developing the foundations for future gold standard research on DAIs. Based on this, we will design a large programme of rigorous intervention research to inform the evidence base and impact policy and practice.
the work packages
Work Package 1: Developing extensions to SPIRIT and CONSORT guidelines
We will identify which aspects of DAIs need to be carefully considered and written about when designing and evaluating a DAI. We will identify these by reviewing existing research and finding out what DAI providers, patients and carers with experience of DAIs think is important. We will seek their opinions by inviting them to complete a survey and talk to us in small groups. We will use this information to develop extensions to national gold standard guidelines for designing and reporting research (SPIRIT and CONSORT guidelines).
Work Package 2: Reviewing existing evidence and current DAI practice
We will systematically review existing studies to determine which DAIs show the greatest ‘promise’ for helping to improve mental health. We will also survey DAI providers to collect comprehensive information about nationwide practice. Based on this and discussions with our partners (see 'AD ASTRA Voice'), we will shape the focus and design of a programme of work to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a DAI for a specific group of people with a mental health or neurodevelopmental condition.
Work Package 3: Building Partnerships
We will develop a community of interest with a variety of partner groups throughout the programme to ensure that our research is informed by partners with lived experience at all stages. For details, please take a look at the 'AD ASTRA Voice' page in the top menu.