Abstract:
Animal-assisted therapy is a new science in the field of the alternative medicine in Thailand. Animals live closely to human and can be a source of unconditional affection, especially for children with special needs such as orphans. This experimental research was studied the effect of rabbit-assisted therapy on self-esteem, depression and happiness of orphans in Rajvithi Home for Girls. The sample consisted of 30 children, aged 12-15 years, equally divided by systematic random sampling into two groups. The 15 participants in the experimental group entered the rabbit-assisted therapy program which included 10 activities in 5 days. The control group lived as usual and received the therapy program after the trial was completed. Pre-, post-, and follow-up tests of self-esteem, depression, and happiness were conducted. The results were analyzed with Independent sample t-test, GEE statistics and calculated into the effect size with Cohens d method. Before receiving rabbit-assisted therapy, the experimental and control group had no statistically significant mean scores of self-esteem, depression and happiness. After the therapy, the experimental group showed increase in self-esteem scores (p=.514), decrease in depression scores (p=.001) and increase in happiness scores (p=.003) compared to the control group. The effect size of the program was moderate for depression and small for self-esteem and happiness.