Canines on campus help reduce midterm stress and anxiety

The UHCL Neumann Library hosted the first ever Study PAWS (Pet Away Worry and Stress) event March 9 and 10.

Neumann Library’s Associate Director of Technical Services Martha Hood organized the event hoping to contribute to academic success by reducing the amount of stress, worry and anxiety among students brought on by midterms.

“I have wanted to do a program like this for several years, but it wasn’t until recently that I wrote up a proposal, and it was accepted,” Hood said.

UHCL partnered with Faithful Friends (FF), a local Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) Ministry sponsored by the University Baptist Church in Clear Lake.

Faithful Friends visits local long-term care facilities and hospitals, participates in reading programs with local ISDs and recently visited Houston Baptist University for an event similar to Study PAWS.

FF Founder Shari Ferguson believes that interaction with animals is certainly effective in lowering stress and anxiety.

“Personally, we have had doctors tell us that they themselves have felt a release of stress when we come to visit the hospital, and patients have even told us that they have not had to use their pain medications while animals are visiting,” Ferguson said.

This calming effect is a result of a chemical reaction within the brain.

“The real key here is the effect of the hormone oxytocin,” said Pushan Dasgupta, a medical student at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “When humans interact with animals oxytocin is released, and it lowers the blood pressure and heart rate.”

Dasgupta explained that oxytocin is considered a social hormone and is thought to also reduce fear.

“Interaction with animals can also lead to a decrease in what are called stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and aldosterone,” Dasgupta said. “This has a really positive effect on health.”

Cortisol can increase blood sugar levels and contribute to diabetes, while aldosterone increases blood pressure.

“So you can easily see that the negative health effects of stress can also be diminished by animals,” Dasgupta explained.

Over the course of March 9 and 10, more than 250 students attended Study PAWS.

While Labrador and Golden Retrievers seem to be the most popular choice, dogs of all ages and breeds are good for therapy.

“Some of those we visit love to play with very active, large dogs so they can throw balls and play fetch,” Ferguson said. “Some of those we visit like smaller dogs that will just cuddle with them and [let them] brush their hair. Different people have different needs, and so the different personalities of the dogs are a good thing.”

A.J. Johnson, legal-studies major, explained that in addition to midterms and multiple essays, he is also finishing up law school applications.

“The stress is there, at its peak,” Johnson said. “I definitely enjoyed it [Study PAWS]. It’s really good to have them on campus because it definitely takes your mind off of midterms.”

Johnson admitted that the stress of midterms and law school applications still lingers in his mind, but after interacting with the Faithful Friends companions, it’s a little less pertinent.

Tasha Davis, graduate psychology major, was adamant that her time interacting with Newman the Husky helped greatly.

“I’ve spent the last two days living here [the library], basically,” David said. “It [Study PAWS] was very relaxing, very nice to spend time with the dogs.”

Both Johnson and Davis expressed that it would be useful to have Study PAWS twice a semester, once before midterms, and again before finals.

“Overall, I think the event was a huge success,” Hood said. “All of those involved— volunteers, students, staff and faculty expressed their interest in bringing the Study PAWS program back to campus.”