The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Procedure
2.3. Measures
2.3.1. Stress Induction
2.3.2. Stress Buffer
2.3.3. Physiological Stress Measures
2.3.4. Questionnaires
2.4. Statistical Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Participant Characteristics
3.2. Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Affective Reactivity
3.3. Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Physiological Reactivity
3.4. Moderating Role of Pet Attitude in the Relationship between Therapy Dog Exposure and Stress Reactivity
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characteristic | Therapy Dog (n = 31) | Control (n = 30) | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|
Mean (SD) or N (%) | Mean (SD) or N (%) | ||
Age, years | 20.13 (3.364) | 21.93 (7.017) | 0.20 |
Female, N (%) | 24 (39.3%) | 23 (37.7%) | 0.94 |
Ethnicity, N (%) | 0.33 | ||
Black/African American | 4 (6.6%) | 1 (1.6%) | |
White/Caucasian | 10 (16.4%) | 13 (21.3%) | |
Other | 17 (27.9%) | 16 (26.2%) | |
PAS | 105.35 (14.87) | 102.37 (17.83) | 0.48 |
PSS | 28 (8.34) | 26.53 (6.25) | 0.44 |
PANAS | |||
Positive | 26.52 (6.51) | 30 (7.31) | 0.05 |
Negative | 14.29 (3.37) | 17.03 (6.87) | 0.05 |
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Fiocco, A.J.; Hunse, A.M. The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 707. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070707
Fiocco AJ, Hunse AM. The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(7):707. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070707
Chicago/Turabian StyleFiocco, Alexandra J., and Anastasia M. Hunse. 2017. "The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 7: 707. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070707