Attitude towards and Interest in Dog-Assisted Interventions of Students in Higher Education

• Cathrin Rothkopf ^[1] ; Theresa Stark ^[1] ; Silke Schworm
  1. [1] Department of pedagogy, University of Regensburg, Germany
• Localización: 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd' 19) / Josep Domènech i de Soria (ed. lit.), Paloma Merello Giménez (ed. lit.), Elena de la Poza Plaza (ed. lit.), Desamparados Blázquez (ed. lit.), Raúl Peña Ortiz (ed. lit.), 2019, ISBN 978-84-9048-661-0, págs. 875-882
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto Completo Libro  1    2  
• Resumen

  • The mental health of students is a critical issue facing institutions of higher education, as a majority of college and university students report suffering from stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that interacting with animals can enhance the mental health. Consequently, animal-assisted interventions can be used to cover the concerns of students. This study evaluated German university students´ attitude towards dogs, animal-assisted interventions and their interest in its use at their own university. Additionally, possible predictors were investigated. Another aim was the validation of the questionnaire. 560 university students answered a questionnaire consisting of the Coleman Dog Attitude Scale (C-DAS), a modification of the Attitude Towards Animal-Assisted Therapy Scale and a translated and modified version of the Cuestionario de Actitudes ante las Intervenciones Asistidas por Perros (CAINTAP). Results showed a slightly positive attitude towards dogs, animal-assisted interventions and interest in its use at the university.

    Furthermore, students´course of studies and sex have proven to be predictors. Thus, especially female students of educational science would welcome an implementation of animal-assisted interventions at the university. The questionnaire showed high quality with a Cronbach’s alpha α = .936.