Feeling stressed? Turn to a furry friend.
As students prepare their return to the classroom, many are searching for strategies to improve their mental health and manage the stress that can come with a rigorous study and project schedule.
Research at UBC Okanagan has found that brief, but concentrated animal therapy sessions can significantly improve mental health and may be a valuable tool for students to better manage stress.
香蕉视频直播淥ur research has proven that short animal therapy sessions significantly reduce both stress and a feeling of homesickness in students,香蕉视频直播� said Faculty of Education assistant professor John-Tyler Binfet.
香蕉视频直播淵et, that same session with a therapy dog significantly increases a student香蕉视频直播檚 sense of belonging to their school.香蕉视频直播�
And it香蕉视频直播檚 not just stressed out students who benefit from a little canine TLC.
The same thinking has lead a number of airports to bring in dogs to help nervous passengers prior to boarding their flights.
Kelowna International Airport says it has looked at introducing a therapy dog program in the future and has already talked with airports that have them, such as Vancouver International and Calgary International.
Back at UBCO, Binfet noted attending post-secondary can be a highly stressful experience. For some, it means moving away from home for the first time and leaving pets behind, along with increased academic expectations, time-management challenges and new social demands.
For the past five years at the campus, Binfet has offered a called BARK (Building Academic Retention through K9s). His program was recently cited in Psychology Today as one of the most innovative, and largest, pet therapy programs at a post-secondary institution.
Previous BARK research proves canine therapy works, and for his current research, Binfet wanted to know how much time was needed to start seeing results.
Participating students completed a brief demographic survey along with pre-and post-stress, homesickness and belonging measures.
Results were published this summer in Anthrozo枚s, the top Human-Animal Interaction journal, identifying that just 20 minutes with a therapy dog resulted in significant reductions in stress and homesickness compared to control participants.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 actually at the point where I香蕉视频直播檓 telling parents 香蕉视频直播業f you want your child to keep his or her stress in check and succeed at university, make sure they are aware of, and use, animal therapy if it香蕉视频直播檚 available at their school,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 Binfet said.
Elevated levels of stress have been associated with anxiety and depression. According to a national survey of colleges and universities, more than 50 per cent of students in post-secondary environments report feeling hopeless, and of that group 40 per cent report high depression levels.
香蕉视频直播淚t is becoming increasingly common for post-secondary administrators to expand the support available to students to ensure they are socially and emotionally sustained,香蕉视频直播� Binfet said. 香蕉视频直播淧roviding opportunities for stress reduction through canine-assisted therapy could impact students香蕉视频直播� engagement in classes, their achievement, and decrease drop-out rates in post-secondary settings.香蕉视频直播�
Although more research is needed, he agrees animal-assisted therapy programs could be a useful way to support mental-health initiatives in post-secondary school environments. More information about Binfet香蕉视频直播檚 research can be found at .
