For college students under pressure, a dog may be the best stress fighter around, according to the finding of a recent study. “It’s a really powerful finding,” said Patricia Pendry, who led the study. “Universities are doing a lot of great work trying to help students succeed academically, especially those who may be at risk due to a history of mental health issues or academic and learning issues. This study shows that traditional stress management approaches aren’t as effective for this population compared with programs that focus on providing opportunities to interact with therapy dogs.”

The researchers measured executive functioning in the students involved in the study. Executive function is a term for the skills one needs to plan, organize, motivate, concentrate, and memorize. These are skills students need to succeed in college.

The researchers found that students who were most at risk had the most improvements in executive functioning after interacting with therapy dogs. These results remained when researchers followed up six weeks later.

Many universities provide academic stress management programs and workshops. These are traditionally very similar to college classes. They often talk about ways to get more sleep, set goals, or manage stress or anxiety.

Pendry acknowledges that these are really important topics, and these workshops help typical students succeed, but they’re less helpful for struggling students. Pendry believes those students may experience the programs as another lecture and feel even more stressed.

Q19: What does the recent study led by Patricia Pendry aim to examine?
Q20: What did the new study measure in the participants?
Q21: What does Patricia Pendry think traditional stress management programs may do?