Patricia Pendry

• Washington State University

(1) Each year, thousands of students leave their pets behind to attend university, often causing separation anxiety and losing a vital stress-coping resource. While many universities offer animal visitation programs (AVPs), their effectiveness in supporting student wellbeing during this transition remains unclear. This randomized controlled trial e...

This chapter focuses on theoretical models and empirical evidence informing research examining the effects of equine-assisted interventions (EAIs) on adolescents’ social competence and ability to regulate stress. We begin by defining the nature of these two interdependent aspects of functioning and their implications for mental, emotional, and beha...

The engagement of cats in animal-assisted services (AAS) is increasing. This is surprising given that feline behavioural needs have been perceived as contradictory to conditions associated with AAS engagement, leading to the assumption that cats as a species are not suitable for AAS. However, important within-species variability in behavioural trai...

Declining student mental health is a global public health issue. Campus-based animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are popular and effective interventions to prevent and alleviate symptoms. How to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based, student-centred interventions that enjoy sustained stakeholder buy-in and support is less known. This pape...

There is a need for research that explores the challenges associated with dog ownership. In particular, increasing our understanding of how young people manage their dog’s undesired behaviours can inform a more nuanced perspective of dog ownership as well as highlight the impact of such interactions on both dogs and young people. This qualitative s...

Echoing content presented at the 69th Annual Nebraska Symposium on Motivation focused on Canine Cognition and the Human Bond, this chapter shares selective results of efficacy trials examining effects of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) conducted in a university setting. The chapter focuses on two multi-year studies examining effects of (1) a 1...

Research continues to shed light on the benefits associated with dog ownership. However, we know virtually nothing about how undesired dog behaviours impact young people's behavioural and perceptive experiences with their dogs. Understanding these impacts is important because it can offer a more nuanced understanding of the effects of dog ownership...

As most university-based animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) feature interactions with dogs, little is known about the feasibility of providing opportunities to interact with cats. Few studies have examined employee or student interest in interacting with on-campus cats, and virtually nothing is known about the role of participants’ characteristic...

Stress detection and classification from wearable sensor data is an emerging area of research with significant implications for individuals' physical and mental health. In this work, we introduce a new dataset, ADARP, which contains physiological data and self-report outcomes collected in real-world ambulatory settings involving individuals diagnos...

While efficacy trials suggest that Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) relieve university student stress, their essential components are unknown. Students were randomly assigned to one of four 10-min conditions: AVP touch (n = 73), AVP proximity (n = 62), AVP imagery (n = 57), or AVP waitlist (n = 57). Participants collected salivary cortisol (Cort)...

The inclusion of cats in animal-assisted interventions (AAIs; i.e. structured interventions that include animals in human services for the purpose of human therapeutic gains; IAHAIO, 2018) is increasing. This is surprising given that feline needs (e.g., stable territory) appear contradictory to AAIs (e.g., repeated territory relocation). This study...

We assessed attitudes of higher-education staff and students' (i.e., openness, perceived risks, expected impacts) towards on-campus animal visits. Assessing these attitudes is important as attitudes predict human behaviour directed towards the animals involved (Kraus, 1995), which likely impacts their welfare (Lund et al, 2006). Cross-sectional, qu...

Despite evidence that youth develop close relationships with their childhood pets, virtually nothing is known about how pet attachment and behavioral involvement with pets may shape students’ pet-separation anxiety during the transition to college. Given that separation may constitute a potential risk factor for developing mental health issues, we...

Smartcollars function as non-invasive tools to measure animals’ physiological responses and physical activity in naturalistic settings. The current study describes PetPace smartcollar data collected in a college campus cat with owner-provided survey data to compare data collected in the context of campus visits of the cat with the cat’s behavior at...

Delanoeije, J., Pendry, P., Peeters, E. & Moons, C. (2021, June 22-24). College campus cat: Exploring PetPace collar data and survey data to measure physiological responses and physical activity during campus visits. [Unpublished conference abstract]. 30th International Society for Anthrozoology Conference [Virtual], Buffalo, NY, U.S.

Implementation of university-based animal-assisted stress-prevention programs is increasing despite limited knowledge about impacts on students’ academic success. This randomized trial (N = 309) examined the effects of a 4-week stress-prevention program with varying levels of human–animal interaction (HAI) and evidence-based content presentations o...

BACKGROUND Past research has highlighted the important role of stress in substance misuse and addiction, particularly for relapse risk. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions that incorporate real-time monitoring of physiological markers of stress offer particular promise for delivering tailored interventions to individuals during high-risk states o...

Background: Previous research has highlighted the role of stress in substance misuse and addiction, particularly for relapse risk. Mobile health interventions that incorporate real-time monitoring of physiological markers of stress offer promise for delivering tailored interventions to individuals during high-risk states of heightened stress to pr...

This chapter focuses on salivary bioscience applications in Human–Animal Interaction (HAI) research, an expanding field of interdisciplinary inquiry examining the mutual, dynamic relationships between people and animals and the ways in which these interactions may affect health and well-being in both species. Using a social neuroscience perspective...

Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (N = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human–animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress manageme...

The use of university-based Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs)—programs aimed at reducing student stress through human–animal interaction (HAI)—has increased. Implementation has expanded despite our limited understanding about program effects on student and animal wellbeing. Moreover, little is known about the nature of interactions between students...

An increase in the prevalence of stress among college students is compromising their mental health and academic success. One approach to stress prevention that has seen a surge in implementation is the use of university-based Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). Despite their popularity and promising causal findings, program evaluations on students’...

Simple Summary There has been a tremendous increase in the use and popularity of animal assisted activities (AAAs) on university campuses around the world. Despite a recent increase in research to examine the efficacy of AAAs, little is known about how handlers and their dogs interact to facilitate student experiences during these programs. This st...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether clinical levels of depression moderated university students’ momentary emotional states (e.g. feeling content, anxious, irritable and depressed) in response to conditions commonly experienced during universal, college-based Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). Design/methodology/approach Duri...

University students report high levels of stress. Although causal work is limited, one popular approach to promote stress relief is animal visitation programs (AVPs). We conducted a randomized trial (N = 249) examining effects of a 10-minute AVP on students’ salivary cortisol levels. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of four cond...

This study examined associations between adolescents' (N = 59; Mage = 11.63) diurnal and momentary activity of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis as marked by salivary cortisol, and affective and behavioral responses to their first, mounted equine assisted learning (EAL) activity. The introduction to riding occurred during the fifth week...

In response to the growing prevalence of mental health issues among college students, campuses across the nation are implementing animal-assisted stress reduction programs, despite a clear lack of evidence supporting their efficacy. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a universal, campus-based, animal-ass...

Although equine facilitated programs have gained in popularity over the last decade, virtually nothing is known about the causal effects of equine facilitated interventions on human development and well-being. Researchers conducted a randomized trial to determine the effects of an 11-week equine facilitated learning program on the activity of the H...

There is growing evidence that promoting social competence in youth is an effective strategy to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in adulthood. Research suggests that programs delivered in collaboration with schools are particularly effective when they target social and emotional skill building, utilize an interactive instructiona...

Based on a sample of parents (N = 148) of 4- to 7-year-olds (N = 74, M = 5.76 years), this study adapted a widely used, self-report measure of couples' dyadic conflict behavior to include reports of couples' conflict behavior in the child's presence (triadic conflict) to examine their additive and interactive associations with child maladjustment....

Although equine facilitated programs have gained in popularity over the last decade, virtually nothing is known about the causal effects of equine facilitated interventions on human development and wellbeing. To address this gap in the literature, researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine if an 11-week equine facilitated lear...

In this study, associations were examined between cortisol levels of wives and husbands in 47 heterosexual married couples. Both partners' salivary cortisol levels were measured at the same moments seven times a day on 2 typical weekdays. After accounting for the effects of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol and relevant control variables, dyadic hiera...

To explore the efficacy of equine programming to support positive behavioral development of horse-novice youth, researchers examined trajectories of behavioral change of 5-8th grade students as they participate in an equine facilitated learning program. Behaviors were rated and analyzed to examine group trajectories of change. Results indicated sig...

While associations between exposure to marital conflict and child development have been documented extensively in middle childhood and adolescence, few studies have examined the developmental consequences of conflict exposure in infancy. Moreover, those that have examined marital conflict in infancy tended to focus on consequences of conflict expos...

Self-regulation ability is an important component of children's academic success. Physiological reactivity may relate to brain activity governing attention and behavioral regulation. Saliva samples collected from 186 preschool children (101 boys, mean age = 53 months, 34% minority) before and after a series of mildly challenging games and again 30...

In this study, the authors examined parent-adolescent cortisol associations in 45 families with adolescent children (24 girls; M age = 15.78 years, SD = 1.44 years). Family members' salivary cortisol levels were measured seven times a day on 2 typical weekdays. Family members provided reports of demographic and health variables, and adolescents rat...

Associations between family functioning and children's stress hormone levels are explored, by examining how aspects of the interparental relationship (parents' marital satisfaction and parent conflict styles), the mother—child relationship (maternal involvement and warmth) and maternal emotional functioning (depression, anxiety and self-esteem) rel...

Associations between demographic characteristics, school schedules, activity choices, family functioning, and sleep behaviors were estimated using nationally representative time-diary data from 2,454 children (ages 5.5 to 11.9 years) and adolescents (ages 12.0 to 19.1 years). For weekdays, African American adolescents, Asian children, and those wit...