Abstract
AbstractDue to the high burden of mental health issues among students at higher education institutions world-wide, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are being used to relieve student stress. The objective of this study was to systematically review of the effects of AAIs on the mental, physiological, and cognitive outcomes of higher education students. Randomized controlled trials using any unfamiliar animal as the sole intervention tool were included in this review. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool. Where possible, effect sizes (Hedges’ g) were pooled for individual outcomes using random-effects meta-analyses. Albatross plots were used to supplement the data synthesis. Of 2.494 identified studies, 35 were included. Almost all studies used dogs as the intervention animal. The quality of most included studies was rated as moderate. Studies showed an overall reduction of acute anxiety and stress. For other mental outcomes, studies showed smaller, but nonetheless beneficial effects. Studies showed no clear effect on physiological or cognitive outcomes. Strong methodological heterogeneity between studies limited the ability to draw clear conclusions.
Funder
Technische Universität München
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health
Reference95 articles.
1. Amuasi, J. H., Lucas, T., Horton, R., & Winkler, A. S. (2020). Reconnecting for our future: The Lancet One Health Commission. The Lancet, 395(10235), 1469–1471. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31027-8
2. Andersen, K. G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W. I., Holmes, E. C., & Garry, R. F. (2020). The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nature Medicine, 26(4), 450-452. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9
3. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2022, November 6). Facts. https://adaa.org/finding-help/helping-others/college-students/facts
4. APA. (2018, November 1). Stress effects on the body. Stress. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress-body
5. Austin, E., Saklofske, D., & Mastoras, S. (2010). Emotional intelligence, coping and exam-related stress in Canadian undergraduate students. Australian Journal of Psychology, 62(1), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530903312899
Cited by
4 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献