Wijker Carolien, Kupper Nina, Leontjevas Ruslan, Spek Annelies, Enders-Slegers Marie-Jose
GGZ Oost Brabant, Berlicumseweg 8, 5248 NT Rosmalen, the Netherlands; Faculty of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, the Netherlands.
CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Department of Medical & Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2021 Sep-Oct;72:36-44. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2021.05.003. Epub 2021 May 23.
Stress and its sequelae are very common in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without an intellectual disability (ID). Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has shown physiological stress-reductive effects in children with ASD. The aim of the current study was to examine the acute psychophysiological response to an AAT session, and to examine the longer-term stress-physiological effects of the intervention, up until 10 weeks post-treatment, in comparison to waiting-list controls.
A randomized controlled trial with pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1: 10 weeks) and follow-up (T2: 20 weeks) measurements of neuroendocrine and cardiovascular measures, was conducted in 53 adults with ASD (N = 27 in intervention arm; N = 26 in control arm). Within the intervention group, stress-physiological data were collected during the 5th therapy session (acute effects). Data were analyzed with mixed models for outcome measures cortisol, alpha-amylase, heart rate variability and sympathetic activity.
The AAT interventional session was significantly associated with reduced cortisol levels (β = -0.41, p = .010), while parasympathetic and sympathetic cardiovascular activity remained unaltered. No significant changes were found for stress-physiological measures at post-treatment time points.
Acute stress reduction, reflected in significant reduction in cortisol levels, was found during an AAT session in adults with ASD, without ID. More research is needed to explore to what extent the specific factors of AAT have contributed to the decrease in cortisol and whether stress reduction is possible for the longer-term.
压力及其后遗症在无智力障碍（ID）的自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）成人中非常常见。动物辅助疗法（AAT）已显示出对ASD儿童有生理应激减轻作用。本研究的目的是检查AAT疗程的急性心理生理反应，并与等待名单对照组相比，检查干预措施在治疗后长达10周的长期应激生理效应。
对53名患有ASD的成人进行了一项随机对照试验，在干预前（T0）、干预后（T1：10周）和随访（T2：20周）测量神经内分泌和心血管指标（干预组N = 27；对照组N = 26）。在干预组中，在第5次治疗期间收集应激生理数据（急性效应）。使用混合模型分析皮质醇、α-淀粉酶、心率变异性和交感神经活动等结果指标的数据。
AAT干预疗程与皮质醇水平降低显著相关（β = -0.41，p = .010），而副交感神经和交感神经心血管活动未发生改变。在治疗后时间点，应激生理指标未发现显著变化。
在无ID的ASD成人的AAT疗程中发现了急性应激减轻，表现为皮质醇水平显著降低。需要更多研究来探索AAT的具体因素在多大程度上导致了皮质醇的降低，以及长期应激减轻是否可行。
