Campus therapy dogs don't just reduce stress, they also combat loneliness: UBCO study

A UBC Okanagan study into the effect of campus therapy dogs on university students found what many likely already suspected.

These animals don’t only help reduce stress for students as they navigate their post-secondary education, but they also ease the feeling of loneliness.

The latter effect, the study found, appears to be particularly pronounced for international students.

“This research reinforces what we already know about the benefits of therapy dogs on stress, but it also highlights their ability to combat loneliness — a growing concern among university students,” explained Dr. John-Tyler Binfet.

“Drop-in dog therapy programs offer an accessible way to create meaningful opportunities for students to connect and improve their wellbeing.”

Binfet, a professor of UBCO’s School of Education and director of the Building Academic Retention through K-9s (BARK) program, led the study, which examined the impact of drop-in canine-assisted intervention on more than 1,000 students.

BARK coordinator Freya Green and student researchers Rebecca Godard, Madisyn Szypula and Amelia Wilcox are co-authors of the study.

Szypula, a graduate student, says she’s seen firsthand how loneliness can affect her peers.

“The 16% representation of graduate students in this study shows that we are equally in need of low-barrier mental health resources,” she noted.

“Research like this is crucial in showing the importance of initiatives that encourage social connection and provide the support necessary for students to thrive.”

Unlike previous studies on this subject that set specific interaction times, this research allowed students to determine the length of their visit with a campus therapy dog.

Most stayed around 32 minutes, the study discovered.

The research was conducted as part of UBCO’s long-running BARK program and Binfet says it has shone a bigger light on how these types of initiatives can help combat loneliness.

“The connection between stress and loneliness is well-documented, but our study adds to the understanding of how brief, informal interactions with therapy dogs can address both,” he noted.

You can view the full study, Keeping Loneliness on a Short Leash: Reducing University Student Stress and Loneliness through a Canine-Assisted Intervention, through this link.