Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills
Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (<i>N</i> = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human−animal Inte...
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2020-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1909 |
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doaj-f64ba31c08044b0d991b7f546cd06eb32020-11-25T02:01:59ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012020-03-01176190910.3390/ijerph17061909ijerph17061909Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study SkillsPatricia Pendry0Alexa M. Carr1Nancy R. Gee2Jaymie L. Vandagriff3Department of Human Development, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USADepartment of Human Development, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USACenter for Human-Animal Interaction, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USADepartment of Human Development, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USAAnimal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (<i>N</i> = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human−animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress management program. Conditions included (1) Academic Stress Management (ASM) content only (0% HAI), (2) Human−animal Interaction only (100% HAI) and (3) equal combinations of ASM content and HAI (50% HAI). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses examined the effects of students’ risk status (<i>N</i> = 146; depression, anxiety, perceived stress, worry) and treatment condition on students’ learning and study strategies at posttest and follow-up. The results showed interactions between condition and risk status demonstrating higher posttest levels of WILL (i.e., anxiety, attitude, motivation) (<i>Β</i> = 0.582, <i>p</i> = 0.005) and SELFREGULATION (i.e., concentration, self-testing, study aids, time management) (<i>Β</i> = 0.501, <i>p</i> = 0.031) for at-risk students receiving equal combinations of HAI and content presentations. Moderation effects remained at follow-up (<i>Β</i> = 0.626, <i>p</i> = 0.005; <i>Β</i> = 0.630, <i>p</i> = 0.007). At-risk students receiving only HAI (100%) also showed higher levels of WILL at posttest (<i>Β</i> = 0.481, <i>p</i> = 0.021) and follow up (<i>Β</i> = 0.490, <i>p</i> = 0.038). University administrators should consider providing at-risk students with targeted programs with varying levels of HAI and ASM content, depending on the targeted academic outcome.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1909university-based animal-assisted interventionacademic skillsrisk status |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
English |
| format |
Article |
| sources |
DOAJ |
| author |
Patricia Pendry Alexa M. Carr Nancy R. Gee Jaymie L. Vandagriff |
| spellingShingle |
Patricia Pendry Alexa M. Carr Nancy R. Gee Jaymie L. Vandagriff Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health university-based animal-assisted intervention academic skills risk status |
| author_facet |
Patricia Pendry Alexa M. Carr Nancy R. Gee Jaymie L. Vandagriff |
| author_sort |
Patricia Pendry |
| title |
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills |
| title_short |
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills |
| title_full |
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills |
| title_fullStr |
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills |
| title_sort |
randomized trial examining effects of animal assisted intervention and stress related symptoms on college students’ learning and study skills |
| publisher |
MDPI AG |
| series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
| issn |
1660-4601 |
| publishDate |
2020-03-01 |
| description |
Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (<i>N</i> = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human−animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress management program. Conditions included (1) Academic Stress Management (ASM) content only (0% HAI), (2) Human−animal Interaction only (100% HAI) and (3) equal combinations of ASM content and HAI (50% HAI). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses examined the effects of students’ risk status (<i>N</i> = 146; depression, anxiety, perceived stress, worry) and treatment condition on students’ learning and study strategies at posttest and follow-up. The results showed interactions between condition and risk status demonstrating higher posttest levels of WILL (i.e., anxiety, attitude, motivation) (<i>Β</i> = 0.582, <i>p</i> = 0.005) and SELFREGULATION (i.e., concentration, self-testing, study aids, time management) (<i>Β</i> = 0.501, <i>p</i> = 0.031) for at-risk students receiving equal combinations of HAI and content presentations. Moderation effects remained at follow-up (<i>Β</i> = 0.626, <i>p</i> = 0.005; <i>Β</i> = 0.630, <i>p</i> = 0.007). At-risk students receiving only HAI (100%) also showed higher levels of WILL at posttest (<i>Β</i> = 0.481, <i>p</i> = 0.021) and follow up (<i>Β</i> = 0.490, <i>p</i> = 0.038). University administrators should consider providing at-risk students with targeted programs with varying levels of HAI and ASM content, depending on the targeted academic outcome. |
| topic |
university-based animal-assisted intervention academic skills risk status |
| url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1909 |
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