Abstract
There has been an increased interest in evaluating human–animal interactions and assessing the mutual health and wellbeing. In this study, first-year female and male veterinary school students not paired (n = 58) or paired (n = 25) with immature (≤9 mo) donkeys (n = 13) were engaged in three different types of interactions (1st, hands-off remote learning, 2nd, hands-on passive learning, and 3rd, hands-on active learning) for 30 min each during Week 2 (Time 1), Weeks 5–8 (Time 2), and Week 12 (Time 3) over three, 15-week periods. Student psychological data involved the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) scores collected from the interactive (student-donkey pairs) and non-interactive (no student-donkey pairs) groups and modified Comfort from Companion Animals Scale (CCAS) scores collected from the interactive group during Times 1, 2, and 3. Donkey physiological data involved collection of saliva within 10 min pre- and post-interaction during Times 1, 2, and 3 in association with the different types of interactions for immunoanalysis of cortisol. There were no significant effects of the various times and types of interactions on CCAS scores. While there were no significant effects of group and types of interactions on PSWQ scores, there was an effect (P = 0.01) of time. Overall mean PSWQ scores were significantly lower during Week 12 versus Week 2. Correspondingly, while there were no effects pre- vs. post-interaction within or among times on saliva cortisol concentrations in donkeys, there was an effect (P = 0.02) of the type of interaction. Mean concentrations were significantly lower with the hands-on passive and hands-on active learning versus the hands-off remote learning. In conclusion, while this study provides preliminary evidence surrounding student donkey interactions, future studies are required with more comprehensive designs to clarify these benefits and better understand the advantages and challenges surrounding student-donkey interactions.
Highlights
Evidence specific to veterinary medicine identifies increased mental health concerns among veterinary students [1,2,3,4,5]
The Human-Animal Bond (HAB) as defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a “mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and wellbeing of both” (AVMA, 1998) [10]
The novelty of the human-animal interaction results observed provide preliminary information that necessitates further investigation surrounding the mutual benefits of wellbeing in veterinary school students and donkeys involved in studentdonkey interactions
Summary
Evidence specific to veterinary medicine identifies increased mental health concerns among veterinary students [1,2,3,4,5]. A review of the benefits of Human-Animal Interactions (HAI) have shown improved social behaviors, reduction of stress based on improved mental and physical health, an overall lowering of fear and anxiety and reduced heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of cortisol [11,12,13]. Results indicated improved wellbeing of adolescents in lowering salivary cortisol levels and demonstrated benefits for children with cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders, children and adolescents with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties, patients with special needs, psychiatric and substance abuse [14,15,16,17,18,19]. Human-donkey interactions have shown particular benefits surrounding intellectual disability and mental health including managing emotions and improving motivation and communication [20, 21]
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