Pilot testing of a manualized Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® group for transgender youth: A randomized, controlled trial

Abstract Transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth are at heightened risk for anxiety, depression, and suicidality; these risks are exacerbated by stigma and rejection by peers and in greater society. Integration of animals into therapy has an emerging body of literature supporting its potential impact on anxiety and depression; Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® (AAPT) is one such intervention. Researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial to determine the effects of an 8-week AAPT group on standardized measures of anxiety, depression, and perceived parental support. TGNC youth ( N = 40) referred by a hospital-based gender clinic were assigned to either an experimental ( n = 20) or waitlist-control condition ( n = 20). Standardized measures were administered before and after the experimental group participated in the group intervention. Youth who participated in the 8-week intervention group in the experimental condition had lower post-test measures of functional problems associated with depression, and higher measures of separation anxiety, as compared to children in the waitlist-control condition. There were significant negative correlations in the experimental group between post-test measures of parental support and panic disorder, and posttest measures of parental support and social anxiety; these correlations did not exist at pretest, or at any data point for the waitlist-control group.