New research has found that dogs can reduce stress! Researchers in the UK studied and found that spending 20 minutes with a dog twice a week was better for reducing stress than relaxing class sessions, like meditation.
Researchers from the University of Lincoln measured students’ stress levels by tracking the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva. They studied 105 eight and nine-year-old kids in four mainstream schools as well as 44 children of similar age in seven special needs schools in the UK.
The children were split into three groups. The first group spent 20 minutes with a trained dog and handler twice a week for four weeks. The second group spent the same time doing relaxation sessions, such as meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and physical activity. The third group, or the “control group,” did neither of these things.
The University of Lincoln said that the children in the dog group had much lower stress levels than the children in the meditation group and the group that did nothing. Those in the meditation group and the group that did nothing had an increase in cortisol levels over the school term. The researchers found that “Dog-assisted interventions can lead to lower stress levels in schoolchildren with and without special educational needs.”
The study, which was published in the Plos One journal, also found stress was lowest in the children in the dog group immediately after their sessions with the pooches. They said that more research was needed to find out what was the ideal amount of time and contact with dogs for the best effect on children’s stress levels.
Link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656283539416x242314438271392200/Dogs%20in%20schools%20lower%20student%20stress%20_%20KidsNews.pdf
Researchers from the University of Lincoln measured students’ stress levels by tracking the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva. They studied 105 eight and nine-year-old kids in four mainstream schools as well as 44 children of similar age in seven special needs schools in the UK.
The children were split into three groups. The first group spent 20 minutes with a trained dog and handler twice a week for four weeks. The second group spent the same time doing relaxation sessions, such as meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and physical activity. The third group, or the “control group,” did neither of these things.
The University of Lincoln said that the children in the dog group had much lower stress levels than the children in the meditation group and the group that did nothing. Those in the meditation group and the group that did nothing had an increase in cortisol levels over the school term. The researchers found that “Dog-assisted interventions can lead to lower stress levels in schoolchildren with and without special educational needs.”
The study, which was published in the Plos One journal, also found stress was lowest in the children in the dog group immediately after their sessions with the pooches. They said that more research was needed to find out what was the ideal amount of time and contact with dogs for the best effect on children’s stress levels.
Link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656283539416x242314438271392200/Dogs%20in%20schools%20lower%20student%20stress%20_%20KidsNews.pdf
