Pets can provide much-needed relief from stress and contribute to overall happiness. Moreover, caring for a pet has been proven to reduce the risk of developing anxiety and depression. Interacting with animals has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, also called the stress hormone. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands and has many functions in the body, this includes mediating the stress response, regulating metabolism, inflammatory response and immune function.

University can be a very stressful environment, especially for first-year students who have moved away from the comfort of friends, family and sometimes pets.

Researchers from the US recently published an article in the Open Access journal Pets which investigates if regular access to pets could prevent a decline in psychological wellbeing and promote positive adjustment in first-year university students experiencing pet separation.

First-year students and homesickness

The Cambridge Dictionary describes being homesick as “the feeling of being unhappy because of being away from home for long periods.”

Homesickness is common in university students. A survey by College Data in 2023 found that over half of university students experience homesickness. Globally, the prevalence of students with mental health challenges is increasing. A report from 2023 by Kings College London and Transforming Access and Outcomes for Students (TASO) identified that the prevalence of mental health problems amongst university students in the UK had almost tripled from 2016/17 to 2022/2023. Moreover, an analysis by the National Healthy Minds Study identified that during 2020–2021, more than 60% of US college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.

It’s been suggested that separation from family, friends and pets may contribute to this increase in mental health problems seen in students. Because of this, researchers from Washington State University (WSU) investigated if regular access to pets could help improve the mental health of students living away from home.

Patricia Pendry, corresponding author of the study and a WSU professor of human development, explains the aims of the study further:

“We know that structured programs help, but we wanted to see if giving students complete autonomy in how they interact with the dogs could be just as beneficial, this mirrors real-life pet ownership more closely and may make it easier for universities to implement similar programs.”

Animals improving depression and anxiety

First-year students were recruited before their first semester. The students were recruited randomly into two groups; one with access to the program and another as a control group assigned to a waitlist. The students were eligible for the study if they met the following criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older
• Have a family pet
• Completed the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale
• Provided data on risk factors (e.g., first-generation status, prior mental health symptoms)

The Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale is a 23-item questionnaire used to measure the emotional attachment individuals have to their pets.

The participants were also asked to complete separate surveys;  the Qualtrics surveys assessing mood states including depression, anxiety, worry, stress, cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, self-compassion and pet separation anxiety.

They were required to complete the survey at three times: after arriving on campus, midway through the year, and at the end of the year. The group with access could choose from seven, two-hour, biweekly drop-in sessions with the pets and pet handlers. However, the second group of students on the waitlist had access to only a single program session at the end of the semester.

During the first session, participants were briefed on safety protocols including zoonotic disease prevention, animal welfare, handler instructions and sanitiser availability. The results of the participants’ Qualtrics survey well-being assessments were analyzed using regression analysis.

“This is a relatively easy, low-cost way to support student well-being,” Pendry explains. “You don’t need a structured curriculum—just an inviting space where students can interact with the dogs and their handlers on their terms in a way that ensures animal welfare and participant safety.”

Regular access to animals decreased levels of depression

The regression analysis results demonstrate that unstructured, regular access to pets over several months lowered levels of stress, worry and depression in comparison to the control group. In addition, the researchers also found that the students who participated demonstrated increased self-compassion.

The researchers conclude that this novel study is the first to demonstrate that the implementation of a regular drop-in university program with access to unstructured interaction with therapy animals is effective in minimizing episodes of stress and depression in first-year university students.

Moreover, the researchers note that it’s not just important for universities to set up these drop-in sessions but they must also actively recruit and encourage students to attend at regular intervals. In addition, they explain that future research should investigate whether regular drop-in sessions with access to therapy animals affect the psychological mood and well-being of first-year university students who do not own pets.

If you would like to read more research on companion animals or submit research in this area, please see the Open Access journal Pets for more information. Alternatively, see the full list of MDPI journals.