SciComm Article

Juliana Granillo

Canines are known for their loving and dependable personality and serve as wonderful companions to us humans. Between providing positive mental health benefits, physical benefits, and emotional support, our favorite furry friends have had an overwhelming need in our communities. Take Buddy, a golden retriever therapy dog, who spends most of his time in children’s hospitals. Buddy has made a tremendous impact on the mental health of Alex, a young boy battling illness and loneliness during his extended hospital stays.  Alternative mental health resources are critical in today's society since so many people suffer from demanding mental strains. Traditional treatment services include counseling, group therapy sessions, and uplifting workshops. However, what about communities where individuals feel unsafe reaching out or lack the financial resources to seek assistance? College campuses are a prime and urgent example of these pressing needs. 

In a recent study by the American College Health Association, researchers found that “58.4% of American university students felt overwhelming anxiety, 59% felt seriously alone, 37% felt so depressed that they found it difficult to function and 9.8% seriously considered suicide” (Thelwell 2). These extremely disheartening numbers prove and validate the demand and concern for alternative resources to help students navigate their mental health battles. The rigorous life we college students take on and the daily academic strain we face feels like an inevitable constant loop. Between extreme academic course loads, working jobs to stay financially stable, and other life obstacles being thrown at us, daily life can become overwhelming. But what if we could implement a cost-efficient, simple, and welcoming resource to reduce those numbers, and create a positive and loving environment to alleviate some of those mental strains? Research published in the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy found that having a therapy dog present in classrooms “ “had positive effects on reducing perceived anxiety of college students on exam days” (Kivlen 5). Inviting dogs into classrooms allowed 14.9% of students to feel more comfortable and motivated while taking tests.

The ratio of counseling to students is sufficiently low, and many students fail to reach out in time of need. “According to the data, the national student-to-school-counselor ratio was 408:1 in 2021–2022, compared with 415:1 the previous school year.” (Rakestraw, 2023). This ratio continues to decrease as the years go by. Subsequently, many students don’t feel safe or even comfortable talking about their mental health issues with professionals. Therapy dogs provide an alternative resource that allows students to seek the help they need at their own pace and desire. This particular resource can also allow students to ease into the idea of seeking further help with their mental health journey. There are immense amounts of beneficial aspects of allowing dogs in the classroom, but the one that stands out the most is that they can help to create an environment where students feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues. Sometimes there is a stigma associated with discussing mental health, and this practice helps break down those barriers and give students a safe place to speak. Another huge issue is the lack of knowledge many people have about mental illnesses (Adams, 52). Our peers often don't know how to communicate and grasp human emotions effectively. Dogs’ intelligence and undoubted comfort, even though they can’t verbally communicate, can surpass that inability of a human. 

It was a fine early morning for 27 college students at Northeast College, where a five-week-long study would be produced. Stella, a 3-year-old therapy dog would be present in a state-wide testing room for several sessions in November-December. Students first began by taking a pre-test survey in which they were asked about their emotional and mental states before the exam. During each examination, students were visited by Stella, as she roamed the room looking for students to comfort. After the testing session was complete, students then took the post-test, to determine the same mental standings. “Most notably, 69% of the student participants noted a decrease in perceived anxiety and stress with 42% of the participants reporting the presence of a dog to always decrease anxiety and stress and 27% of the students noting a decrease in anxiety and stress most of the time. Furthermore, 78% of the students reported interaction with the dog to reduce anxiety and stress with a greater reduction noted with direct interaction.” (Kilven, 8-9). These promising results provide hope for many other students around the world.  Another survey done with 82 students got the same results: the students who spent more physical time with the dogs had“considerable increases in happiness and reductions in both anxiety and sadness scores immediately after the students interacted with a dog.” (Thelwell, 17). 

But what does this mean exactly? We all know how loving and caring our furry friends can be, but the emotional and mental support a dog can offer has way more benefits than we can imagine. The wealth of research presented in all these studies helps guide and reinforce the importance of mental health studies. Animals possess so many beneficial traits and give us humans insights into mental health resources we might have not thought of. It also pushes for more inclusive mental health support resources, especially in times like this. Having loving and supporting comfort from an animal is an incomparable feeling and needs to be more widely promoted. If we can use more cost-efficient and easily accessible resources to further the promotion of mental health, then why wouldn’t we? College students are in desperate need of more assistance and support from our faculty and community. Using animals and their immense beneficial qualities is such a beautiful idea, and can be used not only in classrooms but in communities all over the world.