By Sydni Whitfield, Staff Writer
Every senior in high school is told that college will be the best years of their life. They aren’t told that college may also be the most stressful years of their life as well. Students are expected to learn to balance a large homework load, a constant social life and a possible part-time job all while also learning how to live alone for the first time in their life. Students experience extreme stress, depression and anxiety due to difficult classes and having low grades. It isn’t just school that causes poor mental health for students. College students’ social lives can also cause stress and depression.
Many students are not able to go to counseling while in college due to their schedule not aligning with appointment times or just the vulnerability of going and opening up to someone. To help students with stress and anxiety, some colleges are growing open to the idea of allowing therapy dogs in the classroom. Service dogs are different from therapy dogs as they are dedicated to one person and therapy dogs can help many people in a setting feel more calm and at peace.
It may be more affordable to have therapy dogs on campus in comparison to other options. According to a journal entitled “Should Dogs Have a Seat in the Classroom? The Effects of Canine Assisted Education on College Student Mental Health,” researchers found that “the costs for having a dog tested and registered as a therapy dog from a reputable organization ranges from $10 to $100 for the first year with renewal costs of approximately $30 to $70 for subsequent years” (Kivlen 1).
In a study at The Northeast University, 27 students, male and female, were placed in a classroom setting with a therapy dog. The scientists’ goals were to determine if they would see a decrease in the stress and anxiety of students and if they would see an increase or decrease in the distractibility of the students. The results showed that “69% of the student participants noted a decrease in perceived anxiety and stress with 42% of the participants reporting the presence of a dog to always decrease anxiety and stress and 27% of the students noting a decrease in anxiety and stress most of the time” (Kivlen 2). One of the biggest concerns universities would have to face with permitting therapy dogs is the chance the dog would distract students. The study at Northeast University actually proved that students focused slightly more with the presence of the therapy dog.
Colleges and universities could ease into the idea by having therapy dogs in the classroom for the harder and more stressful subjects. Schools can assess classes where students are most likely to struggle with grades and provide a therapy dog in these classes to see if there are any benefits in students’ moods and grades.
College students’ mental health continues to decrease. Change can be daunting in the classroom for professors and even for some students, however, change may be what students need. It is important that schools start to take action in providing a safe and positive learning atmosphere for students.
Works Cited
Kivlen, C. A., Quevillon, A., & Pasquarelli, D. (2022). Should Dogs Have a Seat in the Classroom? The Effects of Canine Assisted Education on College Student Mental Health. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 10(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1816
