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Animal-Assisted Interventions Improve Mental, But Not Cognitive or Physiological Health Outcomes of Higher Education Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Huber, Annalena, Klug, Stefanie J., Abraham, Annette, Westenberg, Erica, Schmidt, Veronika, Winkler, Andrea S.·2024·International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
DOI 10.1007/s11469-022-00945-4PMC PMC9666958
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Abstract

Due to the high burden of mental health issues among students at higher education institutions world-wide, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are being used to relieve student stress. The objective of this study was to systematically review of the effects of AAIs on the mental, physiological, and cognitive outcomes of higher education students. Randomized controlled trials using any unfamiliar animal as the sole intervention tool were included in this review. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool. Where possible, effect sizes (Hedges’ g ) were pooled for individual outcomes using random-effects meta-analyses. Albatross plots were used to supplement the data synthesis. Of 2.494 identified studies, 35 were included. Almost all studies used dogs as the intervention animal. The quality of most included studies was rated as moderate. Studies showed an overall reduction of acute anxiety and stress. For other mental outcomes, studies showed smaller, but nonetheless beneficial effects. Studies showed no clear effect on physiological or cognitive outcomes. Strong methodological heterogeneity between studies limited the ability to draw clear conclusions.

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Metadata

Authors
Huber, A., Klug, S. J., Abraham, A., Westenberg, E., Schmidt, V., & Winkler, A. S.
ORCID
Huber, Annalena
Venue
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-11-15
Volume
22
Issue
3
Pages
1597-1628
ISSN
  • 1557-1874
  • 1557-1882
DOI
10.1007/s11469-022-00945-4
PMC
PMC9666958
Cited by
30
References
17
Language
en
Licence
Funders
Technische Universität München

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