bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxytocin Responses After Dog and Cat Interactions Depend on Pet Ownership and May Affect Interpersonal Trust
Authors: Curry Benjamin A. , Donaldson Brianne , Vercoe Moana , Filippo Matthew , Zak Paul J. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Although many of us interact daily with animals, we have little understanding of how this affects our interactions with people. This study assessed the physiological effects of human-animal interactions and tested if this affected interpersonaltrust. Participants (N=141) were assigned to play with a friendly but unfamiliar cat or dog for 10 minutes or to rest quietly in a private room. Blood was obtained from human participants before and after animal interactions or rest, and videos of animal interactions were coded for encounter styles. Participants then made interpersonal monetary decisions to quantify trust and trustworthiness toward strangers. Although oxytocin (OT) fell on average after interactions with both dogs and cats, there was a positive and significant correlation between the change in OT after interacting with a dog and lifetime pet exposure. Participants who had lived with four or more dogs in their lifetimes had a positive increase in OT after interacting with an unknown dog. We found a negative correlation between the change in OT after interacting with a cat and cat ownership. Participants who had a reduction in stress hormones after a dog interaction showed increased trust in strangers. Specifically, a one-percentage-point decrease in the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin hormone increased trust in a stranger by 24 percent. Our findings show that the human OT response to animals depends on previous pet exposure.
Animal-Assisted Therapy for Youth: A Systematic Methodological Critique
Authors: May Dana. K. , Seivert Nicholas P. , Cano Annmarie , Casey Rita J. , Johnson Amy 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for youth has the potential to benefit both physical and mental health outcomes. Yet little is known about the extent to which study designs in this area are aligned with established standards of intervention research. This critical review assesses current research methodologies focusing on AATs for youth with physical and mental health concerns. The main aims of this review are to advance the knowledge base of empirically supported treatments and identify next steps that researchers can take to secure the place of AATs as sound and valid interventions for youth.
Effects of Pet Dogs for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their Families: Expectations versus reality
Authors: Wright Hannah , Hall Sophie , Hames Annette , Hardiman Jessica , Burgess Aaron , PAWS Team  , Mills Richard , Mills Daniel 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Previous studies have examined the specific benefits of therapy and assistance dogs on children with autism, but until recently only anecdotes existed concerning the benefits of pet dogs. We conducted structured interviews with 40 parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to investigate the perceived impact of pet dogs. Half the sample (20) owned a pet dog and half the sample was looking to acquire one. Restrictions associated with dog ownership were underestimated, whilst enjoyment, fun and improvements in communication and social interaction were overestimated by the non-owners, indicating important areas where expectations are unlikely to be met. These areas represent important factors to consider when deciding whether to acquire a pet dog in families living with ASD, and as such is of interest to a broad audience including clinicians, veterinarians and parents.
Personality Differences between Dog People and Cat People
Authors: Guastello Andrea D. , Guastello Denise D. , Guastello Stephen J. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Understanding the relationship between human personality and preferences for pet species is important for bettering human-animal relationships, supporting animal welfare, and supporting pet therapy. The present study examined personality differences between dog people and cat people with the objective of addressing some discrepancies in previous research that could be traced to the use of broadly defined versus narrowly defined traits. Participants were 418 undergraduates who completed the Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF) and a Pet Survey that classified them as dog or cat people. The 16PF contains 15 narrowly defined primary personality traits, a brief measure of general intelligence, and 5 global factors that are comparable in meaning to those of the Five Factor Model. The principal differences were that the 352 dog people scored higher on warmth, liveliness, rule consciousness, and social boldness compared to the 66 cat people. The latter scored higher on general intelligence, abstractedness, and self-reliance. Overall, primary traits corresponded to a pattern known to be associated with creative personalities and produced better discrimination between the two groups than traits corresponded to the Five Factor Model. Some traits were more salient for females than they were for males.
Revisiting a Link: Animal Abuse, Bullying, and Empathy in Australian Youth
Authors: Parkes Denise , Signal Tania 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Experience of deliberate animal harm has been found to be a risk factor for school-based violence and later criminality. However, much of the extant research is based on retrospective or caregiver reports with few studies surveying youth directly. The aim of the current study was to address this gap. Sixty-three Australian youth (47 females, 16 males) aged 14-18 years completed an online survey assessing their experience of engaging in and/or witnessing animal abuse (AA) and engaging in/being a victim of bullying. Levels of egoistic need for power and human-directed empathy were also assessed. Expected gender-based differences in experience of animal abuse (directly and as a witness) and personality variables were found. As a cohort, witnessing and/or directly engaging in AA significantly correlated with bullying, while engaging in (not merely witnessing) AA, lower affective empathy and a high need for power were found to predict perpetration of bullying for males. Disparity in findings reported in the literature as well as predictive links between bullying and animal abuse suggest the need for more research in this area. The inclusion of humane education content within extant anti-bullying interventions may prove efficacious in attending to multiple risk factors including empathy deficits.
Testing and Extending the Pets as Ambassadors Hypothesis: The Role of Contact with Pets and Recategorization Processes in Predicting Positive Attitudes toward Animals
Authors: Auger Béatrice , Amiot Catherine E. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

According to the pets as ambassadors hypothesis (
Serpell & Paul, 1994
), contact with pets can promote more positive attitudes toward animals in general and serve as a springboard toward concerns for a broader range of animals. Building on intergroup contact theory and the common ingroup identity model, the current research aimed to test and extend the pets as ambassadors hypothesis as well as investigate its underlying mechanisms. Specifically, two studies aimed to test whether contact with pets – as a specific type of cross-group friendship – can predict more positive attitudes toward animals in general through recategorization and self-expansion processes. Extending the pets as ambassadors hypothesis, we also verified if inclusion of a favorite pet in the self could predict identification with nature. Two correlational studies conducted at the University of Quebec in Montreal tested these associations. In Study 1 (
N
=148 university students, 109 women; mean age of 24.96 years old; 103 pet owners), mediation analyses revealed that contact with pets predicted greater moral concern toward animals and lower speciesism; these links were mediated by the inclusion of animals in the self. Study 2 (
N
=157 university students, 108 women; mean age of 23.26 years old; 95 pet owners) extended these findings by showing that inclusion of a favorite pet in the self predicted identification with nature; this link was mediated by inclusion of animals in the self. Categorizing humans and animals into the same superordinate group also mediated the associations between inclusion of a favorite pet in the self, on the one end, and inclusion of animals in the self as well as identification with nature on the other. These results stress the importance of recategorization processes in our relations with animals and with nature. Furthermore, they reveal the applicability of the intergroup contact, cross-group friendship, and common ingroup identity models to the realm of human-animal relations.
Pets on Campus: Best Friend or Bad Decision?
Authors: Highfill Lauren , Goodman-Wilson Miranda 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
This study explores the relationship between pet ownership and psychological benefits among college students. Sixty-six students either living with a pet on campus (n = 32; 16 dog owners, 16 cat owners) or not completed several assessments of stress and affective symptomatology during the first two weeks of an academic semester and again during the last two weeks. Overall there were no significant differences between students living with pets and students not living with pets on any of the measures. However, there was a significant interaction between pet ownership and stress in predicting students’ somatic anxiety at Time 2. Although pet owning students reported similar levels of stress as their non-pet owning peers, this stress was not correlated with an increase to their bodily symptoms of anxiety. For the non-pet condition, however, stress and somatic anxiety were significantly, positively correlated. Overall, there was not strong quantitative support for pets reducing stress amongst college students. However, qualitative data from a pet owner questionnaire suggested that students greatly enjoy living with a pet on a college campus. Given the decidedly mixed findings, directions for future research more closely examining the impact of pet ownership on students are proposed.
Who is Interested in Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)? Features of Future Psychotherapists and Psychologists
Authors: Lutzky-Cohen Noga , Schneider Margaret 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Previous research has established benefits to incorporating AAT in psychotherapy (e.g.,
Chandler, 2012
). A growing interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) among mental healthcare practitioners (
Rossetti & King, 2010
) warrants a deeper investigation into the features of future psychotherapists who are interested in AAT and how they differ from those who are not interested in AAT. Responses were obtained from 224 counselling and clinical psychology graduate students from across Canada (mean age 29.9; 88% females). The online survey revealed that participants with higher motivation to use AAT were more likely to be female, older, counselling students, live with companion animals, and have experience with AAT. Participants recognized many advantages of using AAT, such as improving health and reducing stress in clients. However, participants also identified important barriers to using AAT, such as clients’ allergies or fears of animals. Exploring the profiles of those interested in AAT, what interests them and how they perceive AAT, can help AAT training programs attract potential clients and tailor materials appropriately. Furthermore, it can increase future psychotherapists’ awareness of this therapy.
Development of the Bonding with Dog Checklist (BoDC)
Authors: Martinez Sarah C. , Cano Annmarie , Casey Rita J. , Johnson Amy , May Dana , Wurm Lee H. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

The growing interest in the mechanisms through which human-animal interaction (HAI) benefits humans suggests that new measures are needed to assess human bonding, especially to non-owned animals (i.e., animals that are not the human’s pet). The current study addressed this need by developing and testing a new measure to assess human bonding behavior with non-owned animals, during an animal-assisted intervention that incorporated shelter dogs. An observational measure, a 12-item Bonding with Dog Checklist (BoDC), was created based on prior work on dog bonding and attachment. Participants in the study were incarcerated adolescents residing in two juvenile detention centers (N = 131). An Exploratory Factor Analysis resulted in a final 7-item measure with a single factor structure and good inter-item reliability (
alpha
= .864). Raters used the 7-item BoDC to assess bonding of youth with dogs as they trained or walked shelter dogs during a 10-week intervention. Seventeen raters were trained in use of the observational measure and attended weekly supervision meetings. BoDC scores increased over the sessions and the BoDC was moderately correlated with a measure of dog attachment in the first half of the intervention, providing some evidence for construct validity. These results provide preliminary evidence for the BoDC as a reliable and valid measure to assess human bonding to animals that are not their personal companions.
Experimental trial demonstrates effects of animal-assisted stress prevention program on college students’ positive and negative emotion
Authors: Pendry Patricia , Carr Alexa M. , Roeter Stephanie M. , Vandagriff Jaymie L. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

In response to the growing prevalence of mental health issues among college students, campuses across the nation are implementing animal-assisted stress reduction programs, despite a clear lack of evidence supporting their efficacy. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a universal, campus-based, animal-assisted stress prevention program on college students’ moment to moment emotion the week preceding final exams. Participants were randomized into three conditions; the experimental group engaged in a 10-minute long interaction with dogs and cats from the local humane society, the control group watched a 10-minute slide show featuring photos of the same animals, while the wait-listed group was assessed in response to waiting for 10 minutes for their turn to participate in the program. Immediately before and after the assigned intervention, participants completed a 25-item checklist assessing how content, irritable, anxious, and depressed they felt in that moment. At post-test, participants who engaged in a 10-minute interaction with live animals reported statistically significant higher levels of contentment,
F
(
2,
181) = 9.30,
p
< .001, and lower levels of anxiety,
F
(2, 181) = 5.74,
p
< .01, and irritability,
F
(2, 181) = 5.44,
p
< .01, compared to students in the control and wait-listed groups. This study provides much-needed evidence in support of animal-assisted campus visitation programs, demonstrating that 10 minutes of human-animal interaction increases levels of positive emotion and decreases levels of negative emotion in college students approaching final examinations.
Treating Pets Well: The Role of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance
Authors: Coy Anthony E. , Green Jeffrey D. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Although the benefits of human-animal interactions (especially pets and companion animals) for humans are becoming increasingly well-known and implemented, less work has been done examining how such interactions affect the animal. Understanding the owner-animal dynamic is more important than ever as the quality of this relationship may affect the level of care an animal is able to provide the owner. In the present research, we expected owner attachment dispositions to affect caregiving and attentiveness. A community sample of 510 pet owners completed surveys on their global attachment and pet-related measures of rejection sensitivity, caregiving, and attentiveness. Results indicate that individuals high in attachment anxiety reported significantly higher levels of caregiving and attentiveness to their animal regardless of type of pet. In contrast, highly avoidant individuals reported significantly lower levels of caregiving and attentiveness behaviors. In both cases, the level of care is driven by pet-related rejection sensitivity; specifically owners’ concerns that their pet may be negatively evaluating and thinking poorly of them. These findings are consistent with previous work on attachment theory that suggests these evaluation concerns may lead to care and attentiveness that is actually excessive for highly anxious individuals and neglectful for avoidant individuals. Implications for human-animal interventions and future research are discussed.
An Examination of the Possible Physical Activity and Short-Term Health Benefits Associated With Dog Walking
Authors: Duvall Antonacopoulos Nikolina M. , Pychyl Timothy A. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine whether dog walking is beneficial for dog owners’ health by providing sufficient physical activity for health benefits and improving their psychological health immediately after dog walking. The sample was comprised of 61 dog walkers who wore an accelerometer for one week on all of their dog walks and completed seven visual analogue scales assessing their psychological health before and after each of their dog walks. Slightly more than half of the time spent dog walking was at the moderate- to vigorous-intensity level recommended for health benefits. Furthermore, through dog walking alone, approximately two in five dog walkers met Canada’s 150-minute physical activity guideline for health benefits. Analyses comparing dog walkers’ psychological health before and after their dog walks revealed an improvement on six out of seven psychological health measures. Dog walkers felt less stressed after walking their dog and experienced an increase in their energy, self-esteem, social life satisfaction and overall life satisfaction as well as a more positive mood. Taken together, these findings provide objective evidence that dog walking is a viable means of attaining the physical activity needed for health benefits and highlight the need to further explore the short-term health benefits of dog walking.
The Background to Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) Research
Authors: Beck Alan M. , Barker Sandra , Gee Nancy R. , Griffin James A. , Johnson Rebecca 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Human-Animal Interaction (HAI), and specifically what is called the human-animal bond, has a long history. The long-standing social implications of our association with animals continue as well as an ever-increasing utilization of animals to help mitigate the impact of disabilities. In the last four decades there has been a growing research enterprise exploring the human health consequences of our association with animals as well as studies of the psychological and physiological mechanisms to help explain the findings. Research in the area continues and the future of HAI is both challenging and exciting.
Guide to Human-Animal Interaction Education
Authors: Erdman Phyllis , LaFollette Megan. R. , Steklis Netzin G. , Steklis H. Dieter , Germone Monique , Kogan Lori R. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Pursuring a career in human-animal interaction (HAI) may feel daunting, as this field is quickly growing and changing, and offers a wide array of career possibilities with pathways and educational programs. Yet, it is this broad scope of possibilities that can make navigating the field challenging. The purpose of this article is to help guide individuals who are interested in exploring a career with animals and humans. Our specific aims are to (a) describe and define the current field of HAI, (b) synthesize possible human-animal studies programs as provided by the Animals and Society website, and (c) offer guidance for those interested in exploring HAI careers. This paper, is designed as a practical guide to help students and their mentors navigate the HAI field.
Multicultural Considerations in Animal-Assisted Intervention
Authors: Valiyamattam Georgitta , Yamamoto Mariko , Fanucchi Leticia , Wang Feiran 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Attitudes towards non-human animals and the conceptualization of the human-animal bond varies across cultures and population groups, thereby making it a crucial consideration in the field of animal-assisted intervention (AAI). The growing expansion of AAI practice to multicultural populations within and outside the US and Europe, necessitates a greater emphasis on the cultural considerations and implications involved. In this context, the present paper attempts to explore select examples of AAI practice outside the US and Europe, namely in South America with a specific focus on Brazil and in East and South-East Asia with a specific focus on Japan, India, and China. The paper also proposes a model for a greater incorporation of multicultural considerations in AAI encompassing the spheres of research, education, and practice, thus drawing from and expanding on current recommendations in the field.
Overview of Centers and Institutes for Human-Animal Interaction in the United States
Authors: O’Haire Marguerite E. , Bibbo Jessica , Hoffman Christy L. , Mueller Megan K. , Ng Zenithson Y. , Buechner-Maxwell Virginia A. 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Academic centers and institutes represent critical hubs for the advancement of areas of scholarly and societal interest. We conducted a survey of 16 academic centers and institutes for human-animal interaction (HAI) in the United States to systematically document the current state of academic interest and investment in the field. Areas of focus included demographics, research, engagement, and education. Results indicated a substantial growth of new centers since 1977, particularly over the past decade. Research topics focused primarily on companion animals (largely dogs, cats, and horses) and adults. Engagement efforts centered around online outreach and in-person programming, with 75% of centers providing animal-assisted intervention services. Education opportunities included degrees at the undergraduate (13%), Masters (50%), and Doctoral (25%) level with courses offered in 63% of centers. The growth and productivity of academic centers and institutes for HAI provides evidence for the growing academic influence of the burgeoning field of HAI. The infrastructure these centers provide will be essential in supporting larger-scale research projects, promoting interdisciplinary and community-based research, and educating future leaders of the field.