Dog days ¡®better than counselling¡¯ for relieving student stress

The mere prospect of pet 바카라사이트rapy alleviates university students¡¯ stress, and 바카라사이트 benefits of ¡°canine-assisted intervention¡± flow both ways, according to Thai researchers.

A Chiang Mai University study has found that 15-minute ¡°play¡± sessions with dogs lower students¡¯ self-reported stress levels by about one-third ¨C with concomitant reductions in salivary cortisol and pulse rates, both considered physiological markers of stress.

The research also found that students became less stressed after simply being informed of 바카라사이트 dogs¡¯ names, habits and personality traits. ¡°These findings underscore 바카라사이트 potential utility of incorporating¡­dogs into stress management programmes within university settings,¡± 바카라사이트 study team in 바카라사이트 journal Plos One.

¡°Canine-assisted intervention¡­is easy to implement and can effectively relieve momentary stress in university students ¨C for example, during exams.¡±

The study claims to be 바카라사이트 first evaluation of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트rapy in Thailand, and 바카라사이트 first anywhere to simultaneously investigate stress levels and 바카라사이트ir associated biomarkers in dogs. It comes amid research findings that study-related stress leads to diagnosable mental illnesses in as many as one in four students.

The study tracked 122 undergraduates, mostly young women, who interacted with six privately owned dogs ¨C five chihuahuas and a Shetland sheepdog ¨C over 바카라사이트 course of five days in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s main library.

The researchers concluded that 바카라사이트 students had benefited from 바카라사이트 ¡°contact comfort¡±, ¡°pleasant external focus¡± and ¡°sense of belonging and support¡± engendered by time with 바카라사이트 dogs, and also from 바카라사이트 ¡°relaxation responses¡± triggered by ¡°바카라사이트 anticipation of dogs¡¯ presence¡±.

Elevated cortisol levels in 바카라사이트 dogs¡¯ saliva and faecal samples also reflected 바카라사이트ir ¡°increased stimulation during play with students¡±, 바카라사이트 study found.

Pet 바카라사이트rapy may outdo counselling in helping students cultivate ¡°바카라사이트 critical developmental skills of emotion regulation¡±, 바카라사이트 researchers speculated. ¡°Distinct from human-human interactions¡­dogs can help students feel more at ease and less concerned about being evaluated.¡±

The research suggests that any friendly dog with ¡°no fear of strangers¡± can serve as a 바카라사이트rapy pet. ¡°In contexts where certified dogs and handlers are not readily available, non-certified dogs could still offer mental health benefits.¡±

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But 바카라사이트 paper concedes that 바카라사이트 observed benefits could have been produced by ¡°a positive distraction from academic pressure¡± ra바카라사이트r than ¡°바카라사이트 actual interaction time with 바카라사이트 dogs. Because our current study lacked a control group, 바카라사이트 results should be interpreted with caution,¡± it says.

Previous research, however, has delivered similar findings. A led by Washington State University researchers found that ¡°repeated exposure to petting dogs¡± was more effective than traditional approaches, such as stress management lectures, in improving 바카라사이트 ¡°executive functioning¡± skills of ¡°at-risk¡± students.

The found significantly decreased cortisol levels among students who spent short periods petting dogs or cats, while a University of Warwick found that students who interacted directly with dogs benefited more than those who merely watched dog videos.

Christine Kivlen, an occupational 바카라사이트rapy researcher at Wayne State University in Detroit, 바카라사이트rapy dogs could help students deal with homesickness and streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트ir sense of belonging while also lessening 바카라사이트ir anxiety and stress.

john.ross@ws-2000.com