The PAWS project – Promoting and supporting the wellbeing of undergraduate students with service dogs

Abstract

Abstract There is growing concern for young peoples’ mental health nationally and internationally, with third-level students identified as a high-risk group for mental health difficulties. In particular, exams are considered periods of extreme stress for college students, which can lead to poor academic performance, greater tension, and increased physiological stress. The current study examined the impact of an unstructured, canine-assisted intervention delivered during the final week of the semester on undergraduate student wellbeing. Two on-campus events were run, during which N=122 undergraduate students (Males=32, Females=86, Transgender=1, Non-Binary=3; Mage=20.28±1.64) completed a battery of tests [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – State Anxiety Inventory, Stress Visual Analog Scale, Brunel Mood Scale Questionnaire] as measures of anxiety, perceived stress, and mood, prior to and following spending 10–15 min with a service dog and their handler. Significant reductions were observed in state anxiety ( p =<0.001), perceived stress ( p <0.001), tension ( p <0.001), depression ( p <0.001), anger ( p <0.001), fatigue ( p <0.001), and confusion ( p <0.001) prior to and following time spent with the service animals. Spending a relatively short amount of time with a service animal had a positive effect on psychological markers of anxiety, stress, and negative mood states. Short, unstructured, on-campus canine-assisted interactions have the potential to positively impact student wellbeing and mental health.