Thesis
Effects of a ten-minute animal visitation program on college students' momentary cortisol and alpha-amylase
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2017
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103518
Abstract
Introduction. In the last decade, college students have reported high levels of stress, overwhelm, and mental health symptomology, to the point that on-campus mental health centers report overwhelming demand. Since stress is considered ubiquitous in college life, effective prevention programs are necessary to promote healthy psychological and physiological functioning. One popular, modern approach is the use of Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs), in which dogs and/or cats briefly visit college campuses to promote stress relief before final exams. Method. In this randomized controlled trial, (N = 249) undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of four 10-minute conditions: AVP participation (n = 73), observing AVP participation with others (n = 62), watching a slideshow of dogs and cats (n = 57), or waiting quietly (n = 57). We collected saliva samples at wakeup, +15 and +25 minutes post-condition to capture effects on salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA). The +15-minute sample reflected pretest cortisol and posttest sAA; the +25-minute sample reflected posttest cortisol and follow-up sAA. Results. While controlling for individual differences in diurnal patterns, no between-group differences were found in pretest cortisol. Students who participated in the 10-minute AVP exhibited significantly lower cortisol at posttest compared to those who viewed a slideshow of animals ([beta] = .170, t(210) = 2.156, p = .032) or waited in silence ([beta] = .184), t(210) = 2.455, p = .015). Those who observed others participate in the AVP ([beta] = .163, t(210) = 1.965, p = .051) did not significantly differ in their posttest cortisol from AVP participants. Students who watched a 10-minute slideshow demonstrated significantly lower levels of sAA at posttest ([beta] = -.204, t(210) = 2.449, p = .015) compared to the AVP group. Conclusion. In all, it appears that both participating in, as well as watching others engage in, a 10-minute, college-based AVP reduces salivary cortisol levels in healthy college students. Future work employing causal designs should continue to investigate the effects of AVP participation on physiological indices of stress, and seek to characterize the human-animal and inter-human interactions that take place during AVPs as potential mechanisms for their effectiveness.
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Details
- Title
- Effects of a ten-minute animal visitation program on college students' momentary cortisol and alpha-amylase
- Creators
- Jaymie Lynne Vandagriff
- Contributors
- Patricia Pendry (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Human Development, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525131901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis