Abstract
Background: Pet therapy is becoming increasingly popular and is used in a variety of ways from encouraging communication in older adults to improving wellbeing in those with serious mental illness. Increasingly Universities have been offering pet therapy to students in an effort to reduce stress. However, little evidence currently exists to support the effectiveness of reducing measurable stress levels after a standalone drop-in unstructured session. The University of Sheffield’s Counselling Service works in partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind to give students access to calm, well-trained animals for informal group stress relief.Aims: To assess the feasibility of implementing and evaluating unstructured group interventions with a Guide Dog in training within the university student population.Methods: One hundred and thirty-one students who attended pet therapy at the University Counselling Service were recruited on a voluntary basis to take part in the research. Stress, measured on the state trait anxiety inventory, and blood pressure were taken before and after a 15-min intervention.Results: All measures showed a statistically significant reduction immediately after the intervention.Conclusion: Short interactions with a Guide Dog in training appear to reduce stress in University students. A controlled study is required to investigate further.
Highlights
Pet therapy is becoming increasingly popular and is used in a variety of ways from encouraging communication in older adults to improving wellbeing in those with serious mental illness
Healthcare professionals who interacted with a dog for as little as five minutes showed reduced biological markers of stress, as measured by salivary and serum cortisol levels; optimal measures were obtained 45 minutes after the interaction whereby cortisol readings were significantly lower than baseline (Barker et al, 2005)
Qualitative feedback suggests five main responses from students: (1) expressions of happiness, (2) relaxation, (3) a connection with the dogs, (4) interaction with pets as a new experience, and (5) a request for the Counselling Service to repeat the event (Counselling service, unpublished data). Is it feasible to measure if interacting with Guide Dogs in training for 10–15 min in a group setting produces a reduction in stress levels in university students?
Summary
Pet therapy is becoming increasingly popular and is used in a variety of ways from encouraging communication in older adults to improving wellbeing in those with serious mental illness. Studies have found mental health inpatients with mood and psychotic disorders to display significant reductions in anxiety on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger, 1983) after a 30-min animal-assisted therapy session (Barker & Dawson, 1998) These findings were not replicated in a condition examining patients with substance misuse, further research has found interaction with a dog reduced anxiety in patients hospitalised with physical illness (Coakley & Mahoney, 2009). Recent years have seen the concept of pet therapy progress into the educational sector through use of sessions with a therapy dog as a stress reduction technique (Crossman & Kazdin, 2015)
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