The Effect of Dog-Assisted Intervention on Student Well-Being, Mood, and Anxiety

Abstract

This novel, exploratory study investigated the effect of a short, 20 min, dog-assisted intervention on student well-being, mood, and anxiety. One hundred and thirty-two university students were allocated to either an experimental condition or one of two control conditions. Each participant completed the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMBS), the State Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI), and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) both before, and after, the intervention. The participants in the experimental condition interacted with both the dogs and their handlers, whereas the control groups interacted with either the dog only, or the handler only. The analyses revealed a significant difference across conditions for each measure, with those conditions in which a dog was present leading to significant improvements in mood and well-being, as well as a significant reduction in anxiety. Interestingly, the presence of a handler alongside the dog appeared to have a negative, and specific, effect on participant mood, with greater positive shifts in mood being witnessed when participants interacted with the dog alone, than when interacting with both the dog and the handler. These findings show that even a short 20 min session with a therapy dog can be an effective alternative intervention to improve student well-being, anxiety, and mood.

Petting away pre‐exam stress: The effect of therapy dog sessions on student well‐being

“…Our results are in line with previous research showing short-term psychological benefits of therapy dog sessions (Binfet, 2017;Crossman et al, 2015;Crump & Derting, 2015;Grajfoner et al, 2017;Katcher & Beck, 2010;McDonald, McDonald, & Roberts, 2017). However, unlike much previous research on this topic (e.g., Binfet & Passmore, 2016), our study was designed to mirror the conditions of a typical single drop-in group therapy dog session (e.g., Logan, 2016;Rollit, 2016).…”

“…However, unlike much previous research on this topic (e.g., Binfet & Passmore, 2016), our study was designed to mirror the conditions of a typical single drop-in group therapy dog session (e.g., Logan, 2016;Rollit, 2016). Our study also fills a research gap regarding the longevity of therapy dog session benefits, as it examines effects at a time point between the immediate effects of a single drop-in therapy dog session (Grajfoner et al, 2017), the lack of effects 2 weeks later (J. Binfet, 2017), and the qualitative perceived effects 3 months later (Dell et al, 2015).…”

“…Second, the design of our study does not enable us to separate which factor (therapy dogs, dog handlers, and/or peers) contributed to the observed benefits. However, given that past research has found benefits of therapy dog sessions, and not handlers alone (Grajfoner et al, 2017), it seems probable that the dogs were the primary contributor to these effects. Overall, the results of this study suggest that single, drop-in, group therapy dog sessions on campus likely benefit students'…”

“…Empirical evidence regarding the effects of the single drop-in therapy dog session format has only recently begun to emerge. Initial studies have provided evidence that a single drop-in group therapy dog session temporarily relieves stress and homesickness, increases students' feelings of connection to their campus (Binfet, 2017), improves mood and well-being, and decreases anxiety (Grajfoner, Harte, Lauren, & McGuigan, 2017). These effects were documented immediately following the therapy dog session but seem to be relatively short-lived: No detectable effects were found 2 weeks after the sessions (Binfet, 2017), although qualitative evidence suggests that, 3 months later, students believe that therapy dog sessions provided lasting benefits (Dell et al, 2015).…”

Dog Theft: A Case for Tougher Sentencing Legislation

“…For example, there is evidence that having a dog can reduce risk of depression; a recent survey of people living with HIV found that non-dog guardians had 3 times higher odds of depression compared to current dog guardians [22]. There is also evidence that companion dogs can reduce anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder [23], and interaction with a dog has been found to reduce anxiety and increase wellbeing and positive mood in University students [24]. …”