Effects of human and animal-assisted skills training on oxytocin und cortisol levels in patients with borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterised, among other symptoms, by emotional instability and difficulties in regulating proximity to significant others. Many with BPD have difficulties in establishing a trustful therapeutic relationship, which often develop before a background of adverse childhood experiences with caregivers. One way to facilitate therapeutic interaction in psychotherapy incorporates pet animals as "door openers". No study exists, however, that has examined the effect of animal-assisted versus human-guided skills training on neurobiological correlates of affiliation and stress regulation, i.e. oxytocin and cortisol.

METHODS

Twenty in-patients diagnosed with BPD were recruited to participate in an animal-assisted skills-training. Another 20 in-patients participated in a human-guided skills-training. Salivary samples of both groups were taken for determining oxytocin and cortisol before and immediately after 3 therapeutic sessions at least one week apart from one another. In addition, borderline symptom severity (BSL-23), impulsivity (BIS-15), alexithymia (TAS-20), and fear of compassion (FOCS) were determined by self-rating questionnaires before and after the 6-week interventions.

RESULTS

Both therapeutic interventions led to a significant reduction in cortisol and an (non-significant) increase in oxytocin, respectively. Importantly, there was a statistically significant interaction between changes in cortisol and oxytocin, independent of group. Both groups further showed clinical improvement as measured using the above-listed questionnaires.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that both animal-assisted and human-guided interventions have measurable short-term effects on affiliative and stress hormones, with no approach being superior to the other in this regard.