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Evaluation of the Effects of Human-Animal Interaction on Anxiety in Graduate Students

NCT07036354 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2025-10-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The study's purpose is to evaluate the effects of human-animal interaction on physiological and psychological markers in graduate students.

Graduate students face significant anxiety due to demanding coursework, long hours of studying, intense academic challenges, and the pressure to excel. Chronic stress in this population can contribute to elevated anxiety levels and measurable physiological changes, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Human-animal interaction (HAI) and its effect on student stress, test anxiety, and physiological markers have been studied on college campuses, largely focusing on undergraduate students. However, research investigating the impact of HAI on graduate student stress, test anxiety, and physiological markers in high-stakes programs is limited. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of repeated HAI on graduate students' physiological markers and anxiety. The results of this study will assist participants, students outside this study, and the program administrators to appreciate the immense value of a full-time therapy dog on campus, facilitating the human-animal bond in higher education.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Human-Animal Interaction

HAI - participants spend a specific amount of time with a therapy dog in a controlled environment.

OTHER

General Health Education

GHE - participants will be educated on strategies to assist in managing general and academic anxiety.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Wichita State University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
35 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-10-06
Primary Completion
2025-12-31
Completion
2027-04-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07036354 on ClinicalTrials.gov