The Impact of Therapy Dogs on Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Student Test Anxiety.

Aim: This study examined the impact of a therapy dog intervention on baccalaureate nursing student test anxiety.

Background: Nursing student test anxiety may hinder academic performance and program outcomes. Considering this negative impact, it is essential to implement anxiety-reducing strategies. Interaction with therapy dogs is linked with test anxiety reduction; however, minimal studies have explored this topic.

Method: A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design was used to examine the impact of a therapy dog intervention on test anxiety. Repeated measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, heart rate, and cortisol levels. The multisite convenience sample included 91 junior-level prelicensure BSN students.

Results: The intervention had a statistically significant impact on test anxiety reduction, noted by a decrease in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores, heart rate, and salivary cortisol levels ( p = .00).

Conclusion: Therapy dog interactions are an effective strategy to reduce test anxiety. The findings from this study may assist educators to implement future interventions.