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

Andrea Chute; Jill Vihos; Sharon Johnston; Karen Buro; Nirudika Velupillai

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253104

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

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

Authors

Andrea Chute¹, Jill Vihos², Sharon Johnston³, Karen Buro⁴, Nirudika Velupillai⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing Foundations, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
² Faculty of Nursing, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
³ Department of Nursing Science, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁴ Department of Mathematics and Statistics, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁵ Department of Mathematics and Science, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

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.