Introduction
Increased stress levels can negatively affect students’ academic performance. While there are various approaches to counter stress and its negative impacts, therapy dogs can be helpful. The latter are trained to offer comfort, support, and affection in different settings.
The present study investigated the effect of dog ownership on lowered stress levels. A simple t-test was conducted on the data collected from 20 students from Southern New Hampshire University. The results indicate that owning and interacting with therapy dogs can significantly reduce stress among students, enabling them to prepare more effectively for their examinations and related schoolwork.
Results of the Data Analysis
Results Summary
The study involved 20 students from Southern New Hampshire University. The results showed that at the time of the study, the majority of the students were ‘very little’ stressed (N=9, 45.0%), and the minority were ‘average’ stressed (N=2, 10%). Additionally, the results indicated that 45.0% of the students currently own dogs while 30.0% have never owned a dog. The students who owned dogs (N=6, 66.7%) reported lower stress levels when preparing for exams than those without (N=8, 21.0%). In summary, the data analysis showed that owning a dog can significantly lower stress levels.
Results Relation to Hypothesis
The overarching study was anchored in the hypothesis that dog ownership lowers stress levels compared with not owning a dog. The assumption is supported by the findings of Barcelos et al. (2023). The latter researchers reviewed and evaluated various psychosocial hypotheses that explain how pets affect human well-being (Barcelos et al., 2023). An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the means of dog owners and non-owners to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in their stress levels. ‘Dog ownership’ was the independent variable, while ‘stress levels’ were the dependent variable.
The independent-samples t-test supported the alternative hypothesis and rejected the null hypothesis. Stress levels among the participants were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), with dog owners (N=9, M=32.1) having a lower mean score than non-owners (N=6, M=24.2). Moreover, the yielded p-value of 0.031 was less than the alpha level of 0.05, indicating a statistically significant difference in stress levels between the two groups (Hodges et al., 2022). Consequently, the null hypothesis was rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis, which stated that dog ownership affects stress levels among dog owners and non-owners.
Obtained Results and Literature Review
The results obtained complemented the previously conducted literature review while, to some extent, contradicting it. According to a systematic literature review by Lisnyj et al. (2021), increased stress levels can significantly affect one’s academic performance. Upon analyzing 14 articles published between 2011 and 2018, Lisnyj et al. (2021) established that increased stress levels negatively affect students’ academic success at both intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. Similarly, the current study results revealed that participants who described themselves as stressed (N=8) had a lower mean GPA of 2.1, compared to those who did not (N=10), who had a mean of 4.3.
Another significant finding from the literature review was that therapy dogs can help individuals feel happier when stressed. While investigating the impact of companion animals during stress and crisis, Hoy et al. (2023) found that, during COVID-19, therapy dogs provided support, comfort, and affection. The study results revealed that 75% (N = 15) of participants described their mood as ‘happy ‘ when interacting with their dogs. Additionally, 60% (N=12) stated that they often interact with their dogs to reduce stress and any associated behavior. Therefore, the findings by Hoy et al. (2023) were complemented by the study results, making them significant to the overarching topic.
Although the results complemented the literature review, they contradicted the findings on the time stressed students spend studying. A cross-sectional study by Alhamed (2023) indicated that stressed undergraduate health profession students spent less time studying since they were disrupted. However, the overarching study results contradicted this finding, as the participants who described their mood as ‘extremely stressed’ (N=5) had the highest average time spent studying during finals, 10 hours a day. Consequently, the results revealed that students who are stressed and worried about their academic performance spend more time studying than those who are not.
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
The present study had three strengths, making it reliable and valid for the overarching topic. To measure stress levels among participants, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used. PSS-10 has demonstrated good internal consistency among university students, as shown by Jatic et al. (2023).
Additionally, the study questionnaire was structured to be easy for participants to understand. The simplicity of the data collection tool may have affected the quality of the data collected (Jatic et al., 2023). Furthermore, the targeted population was small, with 20 respondents, eliminating the challenges that come with larger populations. Therefore, this study’s strengths influenced its validity and reliability.
Limitations
The study also had some limitations that could negatively affect its overall outcomes. The study was conducted within a strict and limited time, making it difficult for the researcher to collect sufficient data on the same (Pyo et al., 2023). In addition, participation was limited to Southern New Hampshire University, which encumbered its generalizability.
Consequently, the results obtained lacked universality and could only be applied to Southern New Hampshire University. Furthermore, the research failed to account for specific factors that precipitated stress among the respondents. Knowing these factors could provide a better understanding of instances in which a therapy dog is used to provide comfort and support.
Other Tests That Could Be Used
Although the independent-samples t-test was selected, other statistical tests could have been used in the present study. The Mann-Whitney U test could have been used to compare stress levels between dog owners and non-dog owners. However, the test was less appropriate, as it is used for non-normally distributed data, whereas the normality assumption was met in the overarching study (Jatic et al., 2023).
Additionally, regression analysis could have been applied. Still, the study sought only to understand the simple relationship between stress levels in people who do and do not own dogs. The latter test is appropriate for exploring the impact of confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, but it is inappropriate for determining linear relationships.
Areas of Future Research
Although the present research investigated the impact of dog ownership on stress levels, some areas warrant further research. The study’s failure to account for confounding factors that may influence the decision to own a therapy dog can be addressed through further research. Moreover, the research was limited to Southern New Hampshire University, making it difficult to apply the results in other contexts. Consequently, future research on the topic should diversify participants to enhance the generalizability of the results (Pyo et al., 2023). Prospective studies on the overarching topic address confounding factors influencing dog ownership and extend participation to contexts beyond Southern New Hampshire University.
Study and American Psychological Association’s (APA)Standards
The structure of the research paper and the data collection process involved adhered to APA standards. For the structure, the researcher followed the APA referencing style to cite and reference academic works that were not their own. On the other hand, consent was sought from the respondents for data collection (APA, 2023). APA’s ethical principles of privacy and confidentiality were applied to conceal personal information and any other details that the respondents were unwilling to share in public. Following APA standards helped develop a consistent research paper with reliable data that was analyzed.
Conclusion
Dogs can be supportive companions for students who are stressed and preparing for their final examinations. This study investigated the impact of dog ownership on stress levels among 20 students at Southern New Hampshire University. Preliminary findings indicated that individuals who do not own dogs are more stressed than those who do. Therefore, therapy dogs can be essential when dealing with stress and coping with its associated impacts on one’s life. The significant differences in mean stress levels between dog owners and those who do not call for further investigation into the specific factors that influence one to interact with dogs and use them to reduce stress.
References
Alhamed, A. A. (2023). The link among academic stress, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, academic performance, and the moderating role of resourcefulness in health professions students during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Professional Nursing, 46, 83–91.
American Psychological Association. (2023). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychological Association.
Barcelos, A. M., Kargas, N., Maltby, J., & Mills, D. S. (2023). Potential psychosocial explanations for the impact of pet ownership on human well-being: Evaluating and expanding current hypotheses. Human-Animal Interactions, 2023.
Hodges, C. B., Stone, B. M., Johnson, P. K., Carter, J. H., Sawyers, C. K., Roby, P. R., & Lindsey, H. M. (2022). Researcher degrees of freedom in statistical software contribute to unreliable results: A comparison of nonparametric analyses conducted in SPSS, SAS, stata, and R. Behavior Research Methods.
Hoy, L., Stangl, B., & Morgan, N. (2023). Dog guardians’ subjective well-being during times of stress and crisis: A diary study of affect during COVID-19. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 6(1).
Jatic, Z., Trifunovic, N., Erkocevic, H., Hasanovic, E., Dzambo, I., & Pilav, A. (2023). Construct validity of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) in a sample of health professionals in family medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Public Health in Practice (Oxford, England), 6.
Lisnyj, K. T., Gillani, N., Pearl, D. L., McWhirter, J. E., & Papadopoulos, A. (2021). Factors associated with stress impacting academic success among post-secondary students: A systematic review. Journal of American College Health, 71(3), 1–11.
Pyo, J., Lee, W., Choi, E. Y., Jang, S. G., & Ock, M. (2023). Qualitative research in healthcare: Necessity and characteristics. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 56(1), 12–20.