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Therapy dog Elsa helps reduce students stress in tutorials and lectures . Picture : Supplied .
The presence of an animal does assist to reduce stress levels .
Gone to the dogs
Can therapy dogs be the answer to university stress ?
By Emilie Lauer
New research suggests dogs could be the solution to reduce university stress and boost staff and student mental health , while increasing their motivation , engagement and overall wellbeing .
The University of Queensland is looking at the effect of animal-assisted education on tertiary students to determine whether having therapy dogs in lectures and tutorials would benefit their mental health .
Animal-assisted education has been incorporated into primary and high schools for a number of years , lead researcher from UQ ’ s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Jess Hill said , but the research is lacking when it comes to the higher education sector .
“ There are a lot of additional stresses that do come with starting university studies , and research has shown that it does have a negative impact on students ’ overall mental wellbeing ,” Hill told Campus Review .
“ We ’ ve only just started preliminary analysis , but it is suggesting that dogs have a positive impact on student wellbeing .”
Hill is accompanied by Elsa , a six-year-old Labradoodle who has been working as a therapy dog with the lecturer for the past five years , first in a paediatric clinic before moving on to academia .
In her classes , Elsa assists Hill in her animal-assisted therapy demonstrations and interacts with students who give her pats , cuddles and treats .
“ I ’ m often hearing students say she ’ s the reason they come to class , or will be giving her a cuddle during a stressful period , and they often say things like , ‘ Oh , thanks , Elsa , I really needed that today ’.
“ That interaction with her in the classroom is already beneficial .”
While universities across Australia provide students with counselling and support , Hill said research shows students are often resistant to reach out for the services that universities offer .
She believes Elsa could actually bridge that gap and help support students ’ wellbeing .
Pre-pandemic , university students were five times more likely to develop poor mental health – a number which has increased as students reported extremely high levels of distress during Covid-19 .
Prolonged stress can lead to poorer academic results and higher withdrawal rates .
“ What the current research indicates is that the presence of an animal does assist to reduce those stress levels , as well as increase engagement and motivation ,” Hill said .
While Hill teaches about animal-assisted therapy , she believes all students or staff could benefit from having a dog around .
Elsa , who doesn ’ t work specifically with university staff , often accompanies Hill to her office and during meetings and other events where she interacts with other academics and gives them support .
“ I often will have colleagues come into my office to interact with her when they want ; anecdotally they are very happy when they see her walking through the halls .”
“ It is something that ’ s happened more incidentally , just because she ’ s with me , but it could definitely be a line of research to look into in the future .”
Currently , many university staff and researchers across Australia have demonstrated high levels of stress which have been flagged by unions .
While being hesitant to suggest it as a solution ( as her study results haven ’ t come through yet ), Hill believes the inclusion of dogs in universities could help staff and students manage their stress .
“ We are waiting to see what the results say at the end , but if they are positive I ’ d certainly like to see more animal-assisted therapy programs implemented at university .
“ The next step in our research would be looking at how dogs could be implemented on a larger scale , but we ’ d also need to be looking at the impact on the welfare of the animal .”
Dogs in the higher education sector will interact with a large number of different people , Hill said , and it is important that the dog is motivated and wants to engage .
“ Elsa loved her clinic work , but I feel as though she was born to be an academic therapy dog .
“ She loves working with the students , and she ’ ll even try and pop her head into classes that aren ’ t hers whilst we ’ re waiting for rooms .
“ She ’ s definitely found her calling ,” Hill said . ■
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