Accessing the Space between: Animal-Assisted Interventions and Eating Disorders

Background and Purpose:

For females between the ages of 15 to 24, the mortality rate for anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than all other causes of death (Crow et al., 2009; Kaye & Bulik, 2021). The prevalence of eating disorders in the United States now exceeds 30 million people (NEDA, n.d.). Even with the mortality rates and prevalence of eating disorders, there is considerable difficulty in accessing treatment and the types of therapeutic interventions used with this population are limited (Swanson et al., 2011). Repeated treatment failures, insurance denials leading to premature discharge, revolving-door experiences, and clinician burnout contribute to critical problems in eating disorder treatment (Kaye & Bulik, 2021). The current study aims to expand the current knowledge on the associations between attachment, affect regulation, and eating disorders, and explores the usage of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) in eating disorder treatment. The primary research question for this study was to explore how adult women with eating disorders experience AAI and whether AAI activates important aspects of attachment experience and affect regulation ability with this population; areas associated with the diagnosis of eating disorders (Cohen, 2020; Petrucelli, 2014; Tasca & Balfour, 2014). The researcher hypothesized that since AAI can activate the attachment system and offer co-regulation, individuals with eating disorders, who are more vulnerable in attachment and regulation, would be impacted by AAI.

Methods:

This exploratory qualitative study used forty semi-structured intensive interviews to examine 20 adult women’s experience of AAI in their eating disorder treatment. Recruitment involved advertisement of the study to eating disorder-practitioners, social media posts, and dissemination of research flyer with eating-disorder organizations and treatment centers. The participants ranged from 21-40 years old. Recruitment continued for three months. The study was approved by the Bryn Mawr College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded thematically by modified grounded theory in NVivo qualitative software.

Results:

Data analysis revealed affect regulation-benefits specifically in the emotional impact of AAI in the women’s experience of eating disorder treatment. Two main themes emerged: AAI facilitated a way to practice modulating emotions through sensory engagement with the animals; and AAI elicited increased comfort in disclosing emotions, thoughts, and experiences related to the women’s perception of animals as nonjudgmental and unconditional sources of connection.

Conclusions and Implications:

The preliminary research findings along with the devastating mortality rates of eating disorders are compelling bases for exploring AAI with the eating disorder population in the future. There is a pressing need for more intentional efforts to translate science into alternative interventions and procure innovative multidisciplinary systems of care for eating disorders, and explorations of AAI may open opportunities (Kaye & Bulik, 2021; Anderson et al., 2018).