Content analysis of research in the human-animal interaction bulletin (2013–2022)

Abstract

Abstract Research in the field of human-animal interaction (HAI) has been growing exponentially as the field has been increasingly recognized as a valid empirical science. With the growth in research, the number of publishing opportunities has also expanded. To gain a greater understanding of the research activity in the articles published in the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin (HAIB), a content analysis was conducted. Demographic variables of authors (gender, affiliation, geographical location, etc.), study participants (location, age, gender, condition, etc.), non-human study participants (species, breed, location, etc.), and research activity types ( Buboltz et al ., 1999 ) were examined to provide an overview of the state of research in HAI as viewed through the HAIB journal. Findings align with previous research identifying females as the predominant publishers in the field of HAI. Articles submitted by researchers in the United States, Australia, and Europe were most common. The study participants included children, college students, adults, and participants with medical conditions ranging from anxiety to loneliness. Last, research studies focusing on a combination of process and outcome activity were more prolific than articles focusing on either process or outcome activities alone.