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Rothkopf, Cathrin ; Schworm, Silke

Exploring Dog-Assisted Interventions in Higher Education: Students’ Attitudes and Perceived Effects on Well-Being

Rothkopf, Cathrin and Schworm, Silke (2021) Exploring Dog-Assisted Interventions in Higher Education: Students’ Attitudes and Perceived Effects on Well-Being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (4492), pp. 1-18.

Date of publication of this fulltext: 04 May 2021 15:01
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.45160


Abstract

Both, in the transition to university and during it, students experience a multitude of different changes. Thus, it is no surprise that many students in higher education report suffering from mental health problems. To address their concerns, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have gained more and more attention over the past few years. Nonetheless, AAIs have neither yet been used nor ...

Both, in the transition to university and during it, students experience a multitude of different changes. Thus, it is no surprise that many students in higher education report suffering from mental health problems. To address their concerns, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have gained more and more attention over the past few years. Nonetheless, AAIs have neither yet been used nor researched at German universities. Two studies were carried out to address this issue. In Study I, 709 university students answered a questionnaire evaluating their attitude towards dogs, AAIs and interest in its use at their home university. In Study II, 27 students participated in a dog-assisted intervention (DAI) in which they were allowed to interact with a qualified dog for 15 min. To gain information about their well-being, blood pressure was measured and the Basler Befindlichkeitsskala had to be answered before and after the intervention. Results showed a positive attitude among German students toward dogs, AAIs, and the use of DAIs at their home university. Although an effect on physical well-being could not be found, results showed that a 15-min DAI can improve students' psychological well-being. Thus, higher education administrators should consider using DAIs as a way to improve student well-being.



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Details

Item typeArticle
Journal or Publication TitleInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher:MDPI
Place of Publication:BASEL
Volume:18
Number of Issue or Book Chapter:4492
Page Range:pp. 1-18
Date23 April 2021
InstitutionsHuman Sciences > Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften
Identification Number
ValueType
10.3390/ijerph18094492DOI
KeywordsMENTAL-HEALTH; UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS; UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS; SUICIDAL-BEHAVIOR; COLLEGE-STUDENTS; THERAPY DOGS; STRESS; DEPRESSION; PREVALENCE; PREDICTORS; human-animal interaction; animal-assisted intervention; higher education; at-risk students; attitude; interest; well-being; blood pressure
Dewey Decimal Classification300 Social sciences > 370 Education
StatusPublished
RefereedYes, this version has been refereed
Created at the University of RegensburgYes
URN of the UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-451606
Item ID45160

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