The Effect of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on Physiological Measures of Stress and Anxiety in Graduate Professional Physical Therapy Students

Obtaining a graduate level degree is a challenging process that can result in significant stress and anxiety for many students. Students in graduate level educational programs are especially susceptible to increased anxiety and stress related to academic performance, the fear of failing, finances/debt, and poor work/school-life balance. Some studies showed that stress and anxiety levels in physical therapy students are higher than that in their age and gender matched peers.

One method of reducing stress and anxiety that is gaining popularity on college campuses is animal-assisted interventions, in which volunteers bring their registered therapy animals to visit with students on campus. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an animal-assisted intervention on stress and anxiety of entry-level physical therapist (PT) students prior to a laboratory practical exam.

Twenty-three first-year PT students (mean age 23.4 ± 1.70) participated in this study. A 15 - 20-minute intervention which either included a therapy dog or no therapy dog was performed prior to the students’ laboratory practical exam. Following the intervention, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and state anxiety measures using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were obtained. Results were compared to baseline measures as well as between each of four intervention trials using repeated measures ANOVA or Freidman test (alpha level of p < 0.05). A post-participation questionnaire was administered at the end of the study.

Statistical significance was found between the no dog trials (Trial 1 & Trial 4) and the dog trials (Trial 2 & Trial 3) for state anxiety (p = 0.000), indicating that state anxiety scores were lower when students were exposed to the therapy dog compared to when no dog was present. No statistically significant effects of the therapy dog were observed for HR, SBP or DBP (p > 0.005).

In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that animal-assisted interventions may be beneficial in reducing perceived anxiety for students in graduate professional educational programs prior to an examination.

Article by Christi L. Williams, et al, from Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA.

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