Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students' Learning and Study Skills.

Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students' stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial ( = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human-animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress management program. Conditions included (1) Academic Stress Management (ASM) content only (0% HAI) (2) Human-animal Interaction only (100% HAI) and (3) equal combinations of ASM content and HAI (50% HAI).

Adolescents' Affective and Physiological Regulation Shape Negative Behavior During Challenging Equine Assisted Learning Activities.

This study examined associations between adolescents' ( = 59; = 11.63) diurnal and momentary activity of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis as marked by salivary cortisol, and affective and behavioral responses to their first, mounted equine assisted learning (EAL) activity. The introduction to riding occurred during the fifth week of an 11-week EAL program for at-risk and typically developing adolescents.