The Effects of Dog Intervention on Anxiety Levels in Children Undergoing an MRI Examination

MRI is an imaging method common worldwide, both for adults and children. Studies show, however, that about two thirds of the children undergoing MRI suffer from feelings of anxiety ranging from mild apprehension to severe distress. For very young children, the unfamiliar surroundings, new faces, strange equipment and particularly the noise generated during the scan, can all cause feelings of stress and anxiety so severe that the test either cannot even begin or cannot be performed properly because the child is incapable of lying still. For older children and adults claustrophobia is the main reason of poor image quality because of motion artifacts or early termination of the scan. Anxiety is a reaction to an unfamiliar situation and its strength is far greater than the objective danger. Anxiety is characterized by subjective feelings of stress and worry that activate the autonomic nervous system. In recent years, more and more use is made of certain techniques to prepare patients for a wide range of treatments, including methods of preparing patients for the MRI procedure, especially children. The purpose of preparation is to familiarize patients with the equipment and the stages of the imaging procedure. It also enables the technician to answer questions the patient may have and thereby avoid false assumptions about the procedure. Intervention with animals, dogs in particular, is developing around the world and is being used in a variety of activities in rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, special education schools, hospitals and more. In 1987 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognized the field of animal therapy and during the last two decades many reports have been published on the positive effects when patients interact with animals. These reports include: performance improvements, improved physiological measurements, reduction of stress and anxiety, reduced feelings of loneliness and depression, and a more speedy recovery.The animal is seen as a "friend" in the strange world of the clinic. Having a companion dog present distracts the patient from the surroundings and procedures. In a pilot study, conducted in 2001 at the New Jersey hospital, an intervention program with a dog was introduced for reducing anxiety in adults before an MRI. This study has demonstrated that animal-assisted intervention indeed decreases the anxiety levels of patients in a pre MRI setting. Several studies have demonstrated the potential calming effects of companion animals on children but, to date, no formal studies on the relationship between dog intervention and a child's anxiety before an MRI procedure have been reported. The current study is designed to determine if dog intervention lessens children's anxiety prior to MRI.