Animal-assisted therapy can help homesickness, says study

Animal-assisted therapy can help homesickness, says study
According to an interesting research, animal-assisted therapy can help first-year university students with homesickness and could also be a useful tool in lowering drop-out rates.

Dog therapy included 45-minute weekly sessions involving small group interactions with dogs and handlers, and engagement with other first year students participating in the study. For the study, published in the journal Anthrozoos , 44 first year university students who self-identified as homesick were given a survey to measure levels of homesickness, satisfaction with life and connectedness with campus. Half of the students completed eight weeks of dog therapy, while the other half were informed that their sessions would begin in eight weeks’ time. A total of 29 per cent of students who dropped out cited more interactions and friendships with other students as a factor that would have influenced their decision to stay longer, according to a 2009 report conducted for B.C. Stats — the statistics agency for British Columbia in Canada. ‘Moving to a new city, I did not know anyone at the university and became very homesick and depressed. I was mainly secluded in my dorm room and did not feel like I belonged here. Coming to animal assisted therapy sessions every Friday gave me a sense of purpose and kept me enthusiastic about life,’ stated Varenka Kim, a student at UBC Okanagan. (Read: Feeling sad? Just think of your pet to feel better)

Source: IANS

Photo source: Shutterstock

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