The Role of Pet-Based Activities: Working with Rabbits to Improve Self-Esteem in Preschool Children

Animal-assisted activities (AAAs) effectively improve the self-esteem of infants and young children, thereby playing a significant role in their growth into adolescence. In particular, in modern society, self-esteem during childhood and adolescence can influence self-esteem during adulthood. Therefore, this study evaluates whether animal-assisted activities could improve infants' self-esteem. There were ten participants in this study, with six one-hour sessions conducted twice a week with six-year-old children. The study proceeded with one host, two assistant hosts, one animal manager, one observer, and two helper rabbits. A self-esteem test was used as the research tool. Before and after the program, the pre-and post-tests were conducted separately to confirm the effect. Animal-mediated therapy in the program resulted in reducing the average scores in certain sub-areas of self-esteem. Additionally, the average score demonstrated a statistically significant increase in other areas. This study's results showed that play programs involving animal-assisted activities can positively improve the self-esteem of infants and toddlers who develop early social skills.