POST-SECONDARY PAW PATROL: Effects of Animal-Assisted Activities on Students’ Stress, Happiness and Well-being

Abstract

Two hundred forty-two students, including 76 college students and 166 university students from Canadian post-secondary schools, participated in a pre-post study of the effects of animal-assisted activities on their stress, happiness, and well-being. Findings showed that those students who had recently experienced a negative event showed significantly greater positive effects of the animal-assisted activities on all three dependent variables when compared with other students, although all students benefitted from participating in terms of desired effects on their stress, happiness, and well-being. In keeping with Keyes’ model of mental wellness, these school-based, animal-assisted activities are supported as low-cost, low-stigma, universal approaches to mental health promotion.

Beyond Cuddling Canines: Exploring Students’ Perceptions of the Importance of Touch in an On-Campus Canine-Assisted Intervention

“…One resource that has emerged as a popular, low-cost, low-barrier intervention for reducing stress in emerging adults attending post-secondary education is for them to attend canine-assisted stress-reduction programs or canine-assisted interventions (CAIs; Binfet, 2017; Binfet et al, 2018; Huber et al, 2022; Pendry & Vandagriff, 2019). These programs provide opportunities for university students to spend time and interact with therapy dogs and their handlers and, findings across intervention studies, attest to the efficacy of this approach in reducing students’ stress and improving overall well-being (Binfet, 2017; Binfet et al, 2018; 2022; Barker et al, 2016; Crossman et al, 2015; Dell et al, 2015; Evans Robino et al, 2020; Pendry & Vandagriff, 2019; Sokal & Martin, 2021; Ward-Griffin et al, 2018). Though the structure and delivery of CAIs varies by institution, these sessions typically see multiple dog-handler teams brought to campus with a group session format offered (i.e., multiple visitors to one dog-handler team).…”