%0 Journal Article
%T Animal Visitation Program (AVP) Reduces Cortisol Levels of University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
%A Jaymie L. Vandagriff
%A Patricia Pendry
%J AERA Open
%@ 2332-8584
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/2332858419852592
%X 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 conditions: hands-on AVP (petting cats and dogs; n = 73), AVP observation (watching others pet animals; n = 62), AVP slideshow (viewing images of same animals; n = 57), or AVP waitlist (n = 57). Participants collected salivary cortisol upon waking, and two samples were collected 15 and 25 minutes after the 10-minute condition, reflecting cortisol levels at the beginning and end of the intervention. Controlling for students¡¯ basal cortisol, time awake, and circadian pattern, students in the hands-on condition had lower posttest cortisol compared to slideshow (¦Â = .150, p = .046), waitlist (¦Â = .152, p = .033), and observation (¦Â = .164, p = .040). A 10-minute college-based AVP providing hands-on petting of cats and dogs provides momentary stress relief
%K randomized controlled trial
%K stress prevention
%K cortisol
%K human-animal interaction
%K university
%K college
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332858419852592