The Effects of Animal-Assisted Activity Play Technique Program on Self-Efficacy and Psychophysiological State of Elderly

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Activity program on self-efficacy and psychophysiological responses in elderly individuals. To achieve this objective, the program was conducted 10 times, once a week for 50 minutes. The study participants were composed of the experimental group of 10 individuals and control group of 10 individuals, all of whom were 65 years or older and met the selection criteria. The research instruments used were the Self-Efficacy Scale and Psychophysiological state tests. Data were processed using SPSS 26.0. A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted to determine the homogeneity between the groups, and it was confirmed that both groups were homogeneous. To examine the pre- and post-intervention changes between the groups, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed, and the results showed that the experimental group, which participated in the Animal-Assisted Activity program, exhibited significantly more positive changes in self-efficacy and psychophysiological scores compared to the control group. Based on these findings, this study aims to provide empirical data for elderly welfare by supporting the physical and emotional health of elderly individuals through the application of Animal-Assisted Activity program.