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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02758886

Pet Your Stress Away Study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an animal visitation programs on college campuses are effective in the treatment of college student stress reduction during preparation for final examinations.

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Key information

Conditions

Stress, Physiological Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Undergraduate status

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Treatment and study plan

Animal assisted activity

Behavioral

Allowed to interact (e.g. talking, petting, scratching, feeding treats, playing with) live animals

Animal photos

Behavioral

A 10 minute, silent, PowerPoint slide show of a variety of dogs and cats

Observing human-animal interaction

Behavioral

Participants watched others participate in petting dogs and cats, while they waited in line for 10 minutes. Participants did not physically touch any animals during this time.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in physiological stress measured via salivary cortisol

    Time frame: On the day of program participation: Once immediately upon waking up, and immediately before and after participation in the assigned 10 minute intervention

    Salivary cortisol was measured three times on the day of program participation: immediately upon waking, and immediately before and after participation in the assigned 10 minute intervention

  2. Change in momentary emotion using the experience sampling method questionnaire

    Time frame: Momentary emotion was measured twice, immediately before and after participation in the assigned 10 minute intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in physiological stress measured via salivary Alpha-amylase

    Time frame: On the day of program participation: Once immediately upon waking up, and immediately before and after participation in the assigned 10 minute intervention

    Salivary alpha-amylase was measured three times on the day of program participation: immediately upon waking, and immediately before and after participation in the assigned 10 minute intervention

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Washington State University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: PYSA

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
First posted
May 3, 2016
Registry last updated
Dec 7, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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