Assessing the Impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Mood Profile, Anxiety, Mental Well-Being, and Stress amongst University Students -- A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study assessed the impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) on the mood profile, anxiety, mental well-being, and stress of university students. Stress has always been a widespread issue for university students, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the problem. The need for stress alleviation therapies to be further investigated within higher education is vital. AAT is a non-traditional therapeutic option of interventions that incorporates animals into the treatment plan to. To assess the effect of a 20-minute AAT session on the chosen variables (i.e., mood profile, anxiety, and mental well-being) among active university students, a quasi-experimental study was utilized with a pre-post single group design. The study discovered evidence in favor of the beneficial effects of AAT on the health of college students. Participants' levels of anxiety, stress, anger/frustration, and overall mental wellbeing significantly improved. The findings imply that AAT could be an effective strategy for fostering college students' mental health and wellness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]