Assessing Attendance Frequency and Duration at a Drop-In Animal Visitation Program Among First-Semester University Students Separated From Their Pets

Abstract

ABSTRACT Anxiety and stress among incoming university students are associated with higher rates of mental health disorders and decreased academic success. One approach universities employ to prevent these problems is the implementation of Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). While efficacy trials suggest positive effects, little is known about students’ program uptake (e.g., attendance frequency and duration) or students’ characteristics (e.g., current mood and past mental health, pet ownership, and pet separation anxiety) that shape program uptake. This study identified student characteristics that predicted AVP uptake in a subsample (n = 209) of randomly selected first-year university students (n = 2,000) who were screened for pet ownership and randomly assigned to attend a semester-long drop-in AVP program (i.e., seven 2-hour sessions) (n = 105) with registered therapy dogs or a waitlist control group (n = 104). Using logistic and multiple regression modeling, participants’ mental health history, current mood, and relationship with their childhood pet were modeled on students’ attendance frequency and duration. Students’ early session uptake was negatively associated with mental health history (B frequency = –0.876, p = 0.03, OR = 0.417) and perceived stress (B frequency = –0.177, p = 0.04, OR = 0.838; β duration = –0.433, p = 0.02, d = 0.61) and positively associated with current anxiety (B frequency = 0.179, p = 0.01, OR = 1.196; β duration = 0.513, p = 0.01, d = 0.66). Overall attendance was negatively associated with levels of pet separation anxiety (β frequency = –0.342, p = 0.004, d = 0.70; β duration = –0.286, p = 0.03, d = 0.53) and identifying as male (β frequency = –0.308, p = 0.003, d = 0.72; β duration = –0.321, p = 0.004, d = 0.68) and was positively associated with early uptake (β frequency = 0.627, p < 0.001, d = 1.40; β duration = 0.532, p < 0.001, d = 1.08). Findings suggest that program attendance may be enhanced by prioritizing access to students experiencing anxiety upon arrival to campus, rather than students experiencing stress, pet separation anxiety, or those reporting a history of mental health problems. Administrators should strongly promote attendance to the first session as this is significantly associated with greater program uptake.