A randomized cross-over exploratory study of the effect of visiting therapy dogs on college student stress before final exams

Anthrozoos

Volumn 29, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 35-46

  Barker, Sandra B ^a   Barker, Randolph T ^b   McCain, Nancy L ^b   Schubert, Christine M ^c  

^a VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^b VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY   (United States)

Author keywords

Animal assisted activities; Exam stress; Human animal interaction; Therapy dogs

Indexed keywords

CANID; DATA ACQUISITION; DATA SET; DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY; DEMOGRAPHY; HUMAN ACTIVITY; PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE; SALIVA; STUDENT;

ANIMALIA; CANIS FAMILIARIS;

EID: 84964545058     PISSN: 08927936     EISSN: 17530377     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2015.1069988     Document Type: Article

References (58)

1. Ahearn, E. 1997. The use of visual analog scales in mood disorders: A critical review. Journal of Psychiatric Research 31: 569–579.
2. Ahles, T. A., Ruckdeschel, J. C. and Blanchard, E. B. 1984. Cancer-related pain: Assessment with visual analogue scales. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 28: 121–124.
3. Aitken, R. C. 1969. Measurement of feelings using visual analogue scales. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 62: 989–993.
4. Allen, K., Blascovich, J. and Mendes, W. B. 2002. Cardiovascular reactivity and the presence of pets, friends, and spouses: The truth about cats and dogs. Psychosomatic Medicine 64: 727–739.
5. Allen, K. M., Blascovich, J., Tomaka, J. and Kelsey, R. M. 1991. Presence of human friends and pet dogs as moderators of autonomic responses to stress in women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 61: 582–589.
6. Allen, K., Shykoff, B. E. and Izzo, J. L., Jr.. 2001. Pet ownership, but not ACE inhibitor therapy, blunts home blood pressure responses to mental stress. Hypertension 38: 815–820.
7. Austin, E. J., Saklofske, D. H. and Mastoras, S. M. 2010. Emotional intelligence, coping and exam-related stress in Canadian undergraduate students. Australian Journal of Psychology 62: 42–50.
8. Balasubramanian, S., Mintzer, J. E. and Wahlquist, A. E. 2015. Induction of salivary nerve growth factor by yogic breathing: A randomized controlled trial. International Psychogeriatrics 27: 168–170.
9. Barker, R. T., Knisely, J. S., Barker, S. B., Cobb, R. K. and Schubert, C. M. 2012. Preliminary investigation of employee’s dog presence on stress and organizational perceptions. International Journal of Workplace Health Management 5: 15–30.
10. Barker, S. B. and Barker, R. T. 1988. The human–canine bond: Closer than family ties. Journal of Mental Health Counseling 10: 46–56.
11. Barker, S. B. and Barker, R. T. 1990. Investigation of the construct validity of the family life space diagram. Journal of Mental Health Counseling 12: 506–514.
12. Barker, S. B., Barker, R. T., Dawson, K. S. and Knisely, J. S. 1997. The use of the family life space diagram in establishing interconnectedness: A preliminary study of sexual abuse survivors, their significant others, and pets. Individual Psychology 53: 435–450.
13. Barker, S. B., Barker, R. T. and Schubert, C. M. 2014. Dogs on campus to reduce student stress during exams: An initial study of student diversity in attendance and perceived benefit. In ISAZ 2014 Abstract Book: Animals and Humans Together: Integration in Society, 99, ed. J. Schöllauf and F. Luckabauer. Vienna: University of Vienna.
14. Barker, S. B. and Dawson, K. S. 1998. The effects of animal-assisted therapy on anxiety ratings of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Psychiatric Services 49: 797–801.
15. Barker, S. B., Knisely, J. S., McCain, N. L and Best, A. M. 2005. Measuring stress and immune response in healthcare professionals following interaction with at therapy dog: A pilot study. Psychological Reports 96: 713–729.
16. Barker, S. B., Knisely, J. S., McCain, N. L., Schubert, C. M. and Pandurangi, A. K. 2010. Exploratory study of stress-buffering response patterns from interaction with a therapy dog. Anthrozoös 23: 79–91.
17. Barker, S. B., Knisely, J. S., Schubert, C. M., Green, J. D. and Ameringer, S. 2015. The effect of an animal-assisted intervention on anxiety and pain in hospitalized children. Anthrozoös 28: 101–112.
18. Barker, S. B., Pandurangi, A. K. and Best, A. M. 2003. Effects of animal-assisted therapy on patients’ anxiety, fear, and depression before ect. Journal of ECT 19: 38–44.
19. Barker, S. B. and Wolen, A. R. 2008. The benefits of human–companion animal interaction: A review. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35: 487–495.
20. Beilock, S. 2011. Back to school: Dealing with academic stress. Psychological Science Agenda 25(9): 1–5.
21. Christensen, J. 2013. Therapy dogs: “Perfect medicine” to help students survive finals. http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/health/students-therapy-dogs/index.html. Accessed on December 19, 2013.
22. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G. and Aiken, L. S. 2003. Applied Multiple Regression /Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
23. Cohen, S. and Janicki-Deverts, D. 2012. Who’s stressed? Distributions of psychological stress in the United States in probability samples from 1983, 2006 and 2009. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 42: 1,3 20–1,334.
24. Cohen, S., Kamarck, T. and Mermelstein, R. 1983. A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24: 385–396.
25. Cole, K. M., Gawlinski, A., Steers, N. and Kotlerman, J. 2007. Animal-assisted therapy in patients hospitalized with heart failure. American Journal of Critical Care 16: 575–585; quiz 586; discussion 587–578.
26. Daltry, R. M. and Mehr, K. E. 2015. Therapy dogs on campus: Recommendations for counseling center outreach. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy 29: 72–78.
27. Eskiocak, S., Gozen, A., Yapar, S., Tavas, F., Kilic, A. and Eskiocak, M. 2005. Glutathione and free sulphydryl content of seminal plasma in healthy medical students during and after exam stress. Human Reproduction 20: 2,595–2,600.
28. Friedmann, E., Katcher, A. H., Lynch, J. J. and Thomas, S. A. 1980. Animal companions and one-year survival of patients after discharge from a coronary care unit. Public Health Reports 95: 307–312.
29. Friedmann, E., Katcher, A. H., Thomas, S. A., Lynch, J. J. and Messent, P. R. 1983. Social interaction and blood pressure. Influence of animal companions. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders 171: 461–465.
30. Friedmann, E., Thomas, S. A., Cook, L. K., Tsai, C. and Picot, S. J. 2007. A friendly dog as potential moderator of cardiovascular response to speech in older hypertensives. Anthrozoös 20: 51–63.
31. Gilbert, D. G., Stunkard, M. E., Jensen, R. A., Detwiler, F. R. J. and Martinko, J. M. 1996. Effects of exam stress on mood, cortisol, and immune functioning: Influences of neuroticism and smoker-non-smoker status. Personality and Individual Differences 21: 235–246.
32. Gopal, A., Mondal, S., Gandhi, A., Arora, S. and Bhattacharjee, J. 2011. Effect of integrated yoga practices on immune responses in examination stress–a preliminary study. International Journal of Yoga 4: 26–32.
33. Gruzelier, J., Smith, F., Nagy, A. and Henderson, D. 2001. Cellular and humoral immunity, mood and exam stress: The influences of self-hypnosis and personality predictors. International Journal of Psychophysiology 42: 55–77.
34. Hansen, K. M., Messinger, C. J., Baun, M. M. and Megel, M. 1999. Companion animals alleviating distress in children. Anthrozoös 12: 142–148.
35. Havener, L., Gentes, L., Thaler, B., Megel, M., Baun, M., Driscoll, F., Beiraghi, S. and Agrawal, N. 2001. The effects of a companion animal on distress in children undergoing dental procedures. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing 24: 137–152.
36. Herzog, H. 2011. The impact of pets on human health and psychological well-being. Current Directions in Psychological Science 20: 236–239.
37. Hewig, J., Schlotz, W., Gerhards, F., Breitenstein, C., Lürken, A. and Naumann, E. 2008. Associations of the cortisol awakening response (car) with cortical activation asymmetry during the course of an exam stress period. Psychoneuroendocrinology 33: 83–91.
38. Hoffmann, A. O. M., Lee, A. H., Wertenauer, F., Ricken, R., Jansen, J. J., Gallinat, J. and Lang, U. E. 2009. Dog-assisted intervention significantly reduces anxiety in hospitalized patients with major depression. European Journal of Integrative Medicine 1: 145–148.
39. Kaminski, M., Pellino, T. and Wish, J. 2002. Play and pets: The physical and emotional impact of child-life and pet therapy on hospitalized children. Childrens Health Care 31: 321–335.
40. Laurent, H. K., Laurent, S. M. and Granger, D. A. 2013. Salivary nerve growth factor reactivity to acute psychosocial stress: A new frontier for stress research. Psychosomatic Medicine 75: 744–750.
41. Laurent, H. K., Laurent, S. M. and Granger, D. A. 2014. Salivary nerve growth factor response to stress related to resilience. Physiology & Behavior 129: 130–134.
42. Malathi, A. and Damodaran, A. 1999. Stress due to exams in medical students-a role of yoga. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 43: 218–224.
43. Marino, L. 2012. Construct validity of animal-assisted therapy and activities: How important is the animal in aat? Anthrozoös 25: 139–151.
44. Marshall, G. D., Agarwal, S. K., Lloyd, C., Cohen, L., Henninger, E. M. and Morris, G. J. 1998. Cytokine dysregulation associated with exam stress in healthy medical students. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 12: 297–307.
45. Mostwin, D. ed. 1980. Life Space Approach to the Study and Treatment of a Family. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America.
46. Nagengast, S. L., Baun, M. M., Megel, M. and Leibowitz, J. M. 1997. The effects of the presence of a companion animal on physiological arosal and behavioral distress in children during a physical examination. Journal of Pediatric Nursing 12: 323–330.
47. Nater, U. M., Rohleder, N., Gaab, J., Berger, S., Jud, A., Kirschbaum, C. and Ehlert, U. 2005. Human salivary alpha-amylase reactivity in a psychosocial stress paradigm. International Journal of Psychophysiology 55(3): 333–342.
48. Ng, V., Koh, D. and Chia, S.-E. 2003. Examination stress, salivary cortisol, and academic performance. Psychological Reports 93: 1,133–1,134.
49. Preuß, D., Schoofs, D., Schlotz, W. and Wolf, O. T. 2010. The stressed student: Influence of written examinations and oral presentations on salivary cortisol concentrations in university students. Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress 13: 221–229.
50. Reynolds, J. A. and Rabschutz, L. 2011. Studying for exams just got more relaxing—Animal-assisted activities at the university of connecticut library. Colege & Undergraduate Libraries 18: 359–367.
51. Roberti, J. W., Harrington, L. N. and Storch, E. A. 2006. Further psychometric support for the 10‐item version of the perceived stress scale. Journal of Colege Counseling 9: 135–147.
52. Rohleder, N., Wolf, J. M., Maldonado, E. F. and Kirschbaum, C. 2006. The psychosocial stress-induced increase in salivary alpha-amylase is independent of saliva flow rate. Psychophysiology 43(6): 645–652.
53. Segerstrom, S. C. and Miller, G. E. 2004. Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological Bulletin 130: 601–630.
54. Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E. and Bonner, G. 1998. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 21: 581–599.
55. Trueba, A. F., Smith, N. B., Auchus, R. J. and Ritz, T. 2013. Academic exam stress and depressive mood are associated with reductions in exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals. Biological Psychology 93: 206–212.
56. Tsai, C.-C., Friedmann, E. and Thomas, S. A. 2010. The effect of animal-assisted therapy on stress responses in hospitalized children. Anthrozoös 23: 245–258.
57. Turner, D. 2012. Colleges turn to dogs to break the stress of final exams, lift spirits. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/colleges-turn-to-dogs-to-help-finals-stress_n_1512156.html. Accessed on November 8, 2013.
58. Vedhara, K. and Nott, K. 1996. The assessment of the emotional and immunological consequences of examination stress. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 19: 467–478.