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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDPsikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar

Parents' Perceptions of Everyday Animal Interaction and Animal-Assisted Therapy in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Fatma Burcu Doğanç1
  • Melda Karavuş2
  • Seyhan Hıdıroğlu2
  • Görkem Can2
  • Zehra Çamalan2
  • Beyza Topcu2
  • Tarık Talha Zambak2
  • Ali Rıza Göreli2
  1. 1Marmara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı Anabilim Dalı
  2. 2MARMARA ÜNİVERSİTESİ, TIP FAKÜLTESİ
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Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to qualitatively explore parents' perceptions of everyday animal interactions and Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).. Method: This qualitative descriptive study was based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 parents of individuals with ASD. The sample comprised parents of individuals with everyday animal interaction (n=13), parents of individuals who had received or were currently receiving AAT (n=5), and parents of individuals with no previous animal interaction (n=2). Interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti 24.0 software. Results: Three main themes emerged: Everyday Animal Interaction, Perceived Impact of Everyday Animal Interaction, and Experiences with AAT. Parents described a wide range of experiences related to everyday animal interaction, including differences in animal preferences, emotional responses, and opportunities for communication, caregiving, and emotional bonding. Parents whose children had participated in AAT reported improvements in social engagement, communication, sensory experiences, and environmental awareness. Conclusion: Parents regarded both everyday animal interaction and AAT as important aspects of the lives of individuals with ASD. However, these findings reflect parental perceptions and should not be interpreted as evidence of the effectiveness of either everyday animal interaction or AAT.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{doganc2026parents,
  title = {{Parents' Perceptions of Everyday Animal Interaction and Animal-Assisted Therapy in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder}},
  author = {Fatma Burcu Doğanç and Melda Karavuş and Seyhan Hıdıroğlu and Görkem Can and Zehra Çamalan and Beyza Topcu and Tarık Talha Zambak and Ali Rıza Göreli},
  journal = {Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.18863/pgy.1921735},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1921735},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Parents' Perceptions of Everyday Animal Interaction and Animal-Assisted Therapy in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
AU  - Fatma Burcu Doğanç
AU  - Melda Karavuş
AU  - Seyhan Hıdıroğlu
AU  - Görkem Can
AU  - Zehra Çamalan
AU  - Beyza Topcu
AU  - Tarık Talha Zambak
AU  - Ali Rıza Göreli
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
JO  - Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar
DO  - 10.18863/pgy.1921735
UR  - https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1921735
AB  - Objective: This study aimed to qualitatively explore parents' perceptions of everyday animal interactions and Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).. Method: This qualitative descriptive study was based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 parents of individuals with ASD. The sample comprised parents of individuals with everyday animal interaction (n=13), parents of individuals who had received or were currently receiving AAT (n=5), and parents of individuals with no previous animal interaction (n=2). Interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti 24.0 software. Results: Three main themes emerged: Everyday Animal Interaction, Perceived Impact of Everyday Animal Interaction, and Experiences with AAT. Parents described a wide range of experiences related to everyday animal interaction, including differences in animal preferences, emotional responses, and opportunities for communication, caregiving, and emotional bonding. Parents whose children had participated in AAT reported improvements in social engagement, communication, sensory experiences, and environmental awareness. Conclusion: Parents regarded both everyday animal interaction and AAT as important aspects of the lives of individuals with ASD. However, these findings reflect parental perceptions and should not be interpreted as evidence of the effectiveness of either everyday animal interaction or AAT.
SN  - 1309-0674
SN  - 1309-0658
ER  -