Hounds and Homesickness
The Effects of an Animal-assisted Therapeutic Intervention for First-Year University Students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2162007 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John-Tyler Binfet (0000-0002-1073-1806, University of British Columbia), Holli-Anne Passmore (University of British Columbia), Holli‐anne Passmore (0000-0002-2448-2206) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 441-454 |
| Publication date | 2016-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthrozoös (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0892-7936 • E-ISSN: 1753-0377 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08927936.2016.1181364 |
| OpenAlex | W2514415582 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 44 |
Transitioning from high school to university can prove to be a for midable challenge for many first-year students, with many experiencing home sickness. Given that students who experience homesickness are more likely than their non-homesick cohorts to drop out of university, universities have a vested interest in supporting students during their first-year transition. Programs that provide opportunities for human–animal interactions on campus are gaining popularity as one way of increasing students' wellbeing. The current study examined the effects of an 8-week animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program on first-year university students' wellbeing. An initial feasibility study (n = 86) was conducted that provided opportunities for students to interact, in small groups, with trained therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers. Results indicated that this program reduced participants' levels of homesickness and increased their satisfaction with life. An experimental study was then conducted utilizing a similar 8-week group AAT program. Participants (n = 44) were assigned to either a treatment condition (i.e., the AAT program) or to a no-treatment condition (akin to a wait-list control). At the end of the eight weeks, participants in the AAT program reported greater reductions in homesickness and greater increases in satisfaction with life than did those in the no-treatment condition. From beginning to end of the program, participants in the treatment group evidenced reductions in homesickness and increases in satisfaction with life and connectedness to campus, while participants in the no-treatment condition evidenced an increase in homesickness and no changes in satisfaction with life and connectedness to campus. Results of both the feasibility study and the experimental study support the use of AAT programs to increase the wellbeing of first-year university students experiencing homesickness
Animal welfare · Animal-assisted therapy · HUBzero · Intervention (counseling · Life satisfaction · Medical education · Pet therapy · Popularity · Psychiatry · Animal and Plant Science Education · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Gerontology · Social Psychology
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A mixed-methods examination of an on-campus canine-assisted intervention by gender
Beyond the campus context
Supporting animals and veterans through enrichment
Recognizing Animals as an Important Part of Helping
Animal-Assisted Interventions on a College Campus to Improve Wellness
The Coping with Identity Threat Scale
Evaluation of Undergraduate Students’ Responsiveness to a 4-Week University-Based Animal-Assisted Stress Prevention Program
Exploring Dog-Assisted Interventions in Higher Education
Effect of Dog Presence on Stress Levels in Students under Psychological Strain
The Effect of Dog-Assisted Intervention on Student Well-Being, Mood, and Anxiety
Association between Early Life Child Development and Family Dog Ownership
The relationship between pet ownership, social support, and internalizing symptoms in students from the first to fourth year of college
Human–Animal Interactions and the Promotion of Social and Emotional Competencies
Dogs as a gateway to the good life
Funeral services, interaction with grieving clients, and human-animal bond in animals’ Heaven Cemetery, Romania
Shifting Preservice Teachers’ Views of Animal Welfare and Advocacy through a Human-Animal Relationships Course
Effects of a Canine-Assisted Intervention in Perceived and Physiological Stress of Spanish University Students
Canine-Assisted Intervention Reduces Anxiety and Stress in Higher Education Students
Dogs on Campus
The Effects of Group-Administered Canine Therapy on University Students' Wellbeing
Assessing Attendance Frequency and Duration at a Drop-In Animal Visitation Program Among First-Semester University Students Separated From Their Pets
Understanding Links Between College Students' Childhood Pet Ownership, Attachment, and Separation Anxiety During the Transition to College
The Importance of Client-Canine Contact in Canine-Assisted Interventions
Turning the Page for Spot
Using Emotional and Social Factors to Predict Student Success
Positive psychology interventions
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Manual or electronic? The role of coding in qualitative data analysis
The Measurement of ‘Rootedness’ and the Prediction of Attachment to Home-Towns in College Students
Combining effect size estimates in meta-analysis with repeated measures and independent-groups designs.
Suicide and depression among college students
Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science
The Satisfaction With Life Scale
Self-compassion as a Buffer against Homesickness, Depression, and Dissatisfaction in the Transition to College
A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Psychosocial Outcomes
Estimating the Reliability of a Single-Item Measure
An analysis of friendship networks, social connectedness, homesickness, and satisfaction levels of international students
Inclusion of community in self scale
Change Scores as Dependent Variables in Regression Analysis
Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among university students
The stress of the transition to university
Demographic and psychological determinants of homesickness and confiding among students
Vulnerability factors in the transition to university
Homesickness among students in two cultures
Dogs as catalysts for social interactions
The pet connection
Animal-Assisted Therapy
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,78 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2026 (10) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 25 |