Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Abdominal Massage to Improve Motor Dysfunction in Rats with Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 11, 2023
Evaluating college student interest in pet therapy
Kathleen N Adamle1, Tracy A Riley, Tracey Carlson
1College of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA. kadamle@kent.edu
Unlabelled:
The first year of college can be extremely stressful, especially for students residing on campus.
Objective:
The authors obtained information from college freshmen about their relationships with pets and investigated interest in a pet therapy program as social support for transient stressful periods.
Participants:
As part of a university orientation program, 246 college freshman attended 1 of 5 health issues sessions offered during the 2006-2007 academic year. Approximately 50 freshmen attended each session.
Method:
Participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the session, followed by a 20-minute presentation about pet therapy that ended with pet therapy visitation.
Results:
Students identified that visits with certified pet therapy dogs could be beneficial to college freshman during their first year away from home.
Conclusions:
These students indicated that a pet therapy program could temporarily fill the absence of previous support systems and be a catalyst for establishing new social relationships.
Related Concept Videos
01:56Ethics in Research
01:26Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in situations...
01:25Elements Crucial for Effective Psychotherapy
The Therapeutic Alliance
The therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship between the therapist and the client. The alliance strengthens when the therapist and the client engage in a nurturing, supportive, trusting, empathetic, and respectful relationship, improving therapeutic outcomes. Therapists must monitor this relationship...