Therapy dogs play such an important role in helping people mentally, whether they’re working with ill people in hospital, young children learning to read at school, seniors in retirement homes, or almost anybody else – the list is endless!
Now, a new study has indicated that regular access to therapy dogs, who often belong to one of the best breeds for anxiety, helps first-year college students, too. The PAWs4US study, published in the Pets journal, looked at how long-term access to an animal-assisted drop-in program on a regular basis helped first-year students at Washington State University.
The study found that those who spent time with therapy dogs in repeated, unstructured sessions over a number of months reported lower stress and depression levels as well as more self-compassion – when first-year college students often report a decline in mental health as they adjust to living away from home and a new way of learning and working.
Dr. Patricia Pendry, corresponding author of the study and a professor of human development at the university, explained, “We know that structured programs help, but we wanted to see if giving students complete autonomy in how they interact with the dogs could be just as beneficial. This mirrors real-life pet ownership more closely and may make it easier for universities to implement similar programs."
Dr. Pendry’s prior research showed that even short interactions with therapy dogs can help lower levels of cortisol, often called the stress hormone, and that highly structured programs involving therapy animals can improve students’ well-being and help them learn.
This study looked at unstructured programs to see if they have the same effects. Students were welcome to drop in and interact with the dogs as they pleased, staying there for up to two hours. A total of 145 first-year students, all of whom had left a family pet behind at home, were involved, and were randomly assigned to either a control group, on the waitlist, or a seven-session drop-in therapy dog program.
While the therapy dogs themselves played a crucial role in the mental health benefits felt by the students, the researchers think that the overall environment played an important role, too. Dr. Pendry said, “It's likely a combination of sitting quietly, petting the dog, talking to other students and engaging with the handlers that contributes to student well-being.”
And it seemed as though those who benefitted the most were those who attended multiple sessions, suggesting that ongoing initiatives are more effective than one-off events for students.
If you’re thinking of adopting a pet to help improve your mental health, here are 32 of the best emotional support animal breeds. If you’re a new dog parent and you’re feeling stressed, however, here are 11 reasons you have the puppy blues and what to do about it.
