This exploratory study investigated the effect of visiting therapy dogs on college-student perceived and physiological stress the week prior to final exams. Students (n = 78) were randomly assigned to order of a therapydog intervention and attention-control condition, each 15 minutes long. Students completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), a stress visual analog scale (SVAS), and provided saliva for measuring nerve growth factor (sNGF) and alpha amylase (sAA), prior to randomization. Saliva samples and SVAS were again collected after each condition. There was no effect of group order on demographics, PSS, or initial SVAS. Repeated measures models were used to analyze the complete data sets of 57 students. There were no significant differences in sAA between or within students completing the intervention and control conditions. sNGF was not subjected to analysis as most levels were undetectable. Significant differences in SVAS scores were found between the intervention and control condition, with large effect sizes. SVAS scores were lower following the intervention, regardless of condition order (intervention first, p = 0.0001, d = 1.87; intervention second, p = 0.0004, d = 1.63). No SVAS differences were found for the control condition. Based on these findings, campus events with visiting therapy dogs represent a costeffective, easily accessible activity to reduce perceived, but not physiological, stress for college students prior to final exams.

Canine-assisted interventions (CAI) are becoming more popular in hospital settings, representing a crucial intersection between animals, veterinary medicine, and society. However, standardized policies and procedures to minimize risk and maximize benefit to vulnerable humans and protect therapy dog welfare are lacking, posing a challenge to safe practice. Few intervention programs are evaluated to document efficacy compounding the potential risk. This paper presents a rationale for CAI in hospitals and describes the evidence, issues, and challenges to establishing and maintaining safe and effective programs for humans and animals. Recommendations are made for best practices based on the existing scientific evidence and a model program in place in a major medical center for 19 years. Scientific and practical implications are considered.

Internalizing symptoms are prevalent in students as they enter and complete college. Considering research suggesting mental health benefits of pet ownership, this study explores the relationship between pet ownership, social support (SS), and internalizing symptoms (IS) in a cohort of students across their 4-year college experience. With no differences at college entry, students growing up with pets had greater IS through the fourth year, and greater SS through the third year, than those without pets. Currently living with a pet, gender, SS and personality predicted IS in the fourth year. Females experiencing higher IS in their first year are more likely to live with pets in their fourth year, and fourth year females living with pets or greatly missing absent pets have higher IS than females without pets or missing pets less. Findings suggest a unique relationship between IS in female students and their pet relationships not seen in males.

Using data from a previously published study on effects of a canine-assisted activity (CAA) on college student stress the week before final examinations, we examined whether participation in this activity had effects on perceptions of 1) family supports (i.e., emotional distance to family members and pets) and 2) current stressors. A total of 74 students completed the Family Life Space Diagram (FLSD), which uses an individual's structured drawings of distances between symbols of self and living entities, organizations, and stressors to reflect “emotional distances.” Participants were randomly assigned to order of CAA or FLSD, which was the intervention study control condition. Groups completed the FLSD after participating in CAA (Group A, n = 34) or prior to CAA (Group B, n = 40). Participants were primarily white (56.8%) females (75.7%) with a mean age of 19.38 years (SD = 1.75). Significant differences with large effect sizes were found for both groups in distances between 1) self-closest and self-average family member (Group A: t = 7.02, df = 33, p < 0.001, d = 1.205; Group B: t = 6.25, df = 39, p < 0.001, d = 0.987) and 2) self-closest personal stressor (t = 2.93, df = 18, p = 0.009, d = 1.311) and self-average personal stressor (t = 2.54, df = 18. p = 0.020, d = 1.138). In both cases, Group A (FLSD following CAA) placed personal stressors in closer proximity to self. Although CAA did not affect students’ current perceptions of family and pet relationships, the intervention may have increased their abilities to cope with personal stressors. Modified stress theory supports the proposition that positive emotions associated with CAA engage positive coping strategies, resulting in more positive perceptions of stressors.

Loneliness is linked to significant health threats and is potentially more dangerous than obesity; it affects as many as 29% of noninstitutionalized older adults. Loneliness is exacerbated for those who require inpatient rehabilitation, are displaced from their social networks, spend little time receiving therapy, and are physically inactive and socially isolated. Emerging evidence suggests that companion animals provide a number of health and wellbeing benefits and that interacting with a trained therapy dog may reduce loneliness. Older adult (59+ years) medical inpatients (N=42) were randomly assigned to receive one of three conditions: dog and handler interaction (AAI), handler-only Conversational Control (CC), or Usual Care (UC), for 20 minutes per day over three days. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS) and Short Form (UCLA-SF) as well as an analog rating scale were used to assess loneliness. Linear Mixed Models with random intercepts were applied to examine differences in the changes from before to after the conditions. Changes in the UCLA-SF [t (200.356) = 1.851, p = 0.033] and the analog loneliness scale [t (194.407) = 2.651, p = 0.004], differed significantly between the AAI condition and the UC conditions but not between the CC and UC conditions (p = .175). Trajectories of changes in loneliness showed more improvement in the AAI than in the UC condition. These results indicate that AAI was effective for reducing loneliness in hospitalized older adults. Human handler only visits did not result in similar findings, indicating that there is something unique and beneficial about the presence of the dog.