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. 2023 Dec 22:14:1253104.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253104. eCollection 2023.

The effect of animal-assisted intervention on undergraduate students' perception of momentary stress

Andrea Chute  1 , Jill Vihos  2 , Sharon Johnston  3 , Karen Buro  4 , Nirudika Velupillai  5
Affiliations

The effect of animal-assisted intervention on undergraduate students' perception of momentary stress

Andrea Chute et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Student mental wellness is a priority in higher education. Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs') are gaining momentum in universities across North America (Dell et al., 2015).

Aims: This study explored the relationships between AAIs', demographic variables, and perceived momentary stress among university students.

Methods: Using a descriptive correlational design, students completed a Perceived Momentary Stress questionnaire that included the Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11 (Stress NRS-11) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to measure perceived stress before and after AAIs'. Data were analyzed using R (4.1.2) (R Core Team, Vienna, Austria) to identify relationships between students' perceptions of momentary stress, AAIs' and sociodemographic and demographic variables.

Results: First-year students, female students, and students identifying as sexual minorities were found to benefit the most from AAIs'.

Conclusion: Results from this study reflect relationships between exposure to animal-assisted interventions and student demographic variables.

Keywords: animal assisted interventions; demographic characteristics; mental health; student stress; university students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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