Collaborative Research Between PAWS of CNY, Community Link Program Indicates Emotional Benefits of Pet Therapy for College Students

by Contributor | April 23, 2018 8:12 pm

SYRACUSE, NY – PAWS of CNY, Inc., Central New York’s largest non-profit provider of pet-assisted wellness services, in partnership with the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Public Affairs’ Community Link Program has conducted research that indicates the positive emotional benefits of pet therapy for college students.

The data was collected from 46 Syracuse University students and faculty members who attended an on-campus PAWS of CNY pet therapy event, and 41 students who attended a similar event at SUNY Oswego.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents were aged 18-24.

The survey findings demonstrated a potential causal link to positive health and emotional benefits of pet therapy, as 83 percent of survey
respondents reported that they felt “extremely happy” after attending the PAWS of CNY event.

In addition to the significant number of respondents who reported their pet therapy interaction left them feeling “extremely happy:”

• 80% stated they felt extremely interested
• 53% stated they felt moderately or quite a bit hopeful
• 92% stated they felt very slightly or not at all nervous
• 98% stated they felt very slightly or not at all worried
• 96% stated they felt very slightly or not at all sad

PAWS of CNY has been providing pet-assisted wellness services in Central New York for more than 15 years.

It began providing pet therapy services to college campuses over a decade ago to help de-stress and provide emotional support to students, particularly around the time of mid-terms and finals.

“Our volunteers have witnessed how much our pet therapy visits impact college students,” said Jessica Marabella, PAWS of CNY
president. “The research findings we were able to obtain thanks to our partnership with the Community Link Program helps to support
what we have long believed about the therapeutic benefits of dogs and cats for college students.”

The Community Link Program pairs a Syracuse University Maxwell Policy Studies student with an organization to conduct surveys, compile data, and report findings on their behalf.

The PAWS of CNY survey data was collected in February of 2018, and the final report was presented to the PAWS of CNY Board of Directors on April 11.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the Community Link Program,” said Marabella. “Our research student, Evan Torrisi, provided a high-quality, insightful report that will benefit us as we continue to identify the areas of greatest need in our community that our pet therapy services can support.”

For more information about PAWS of CNY and the therapy pet evaluation and certification process, visit pawsofcny.org.

About PAWS of CNY, Inc.
PAWS of CNY, Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Central New York that is dedicated to enriching the lives of people and animals through mutually beneficial interaction. More than 110 volunteers across Onondaga, Oswego, Cortland, Madison and Cayuga counties bring their pets to visit more than 70 locations in Central New York to provide pet assisted wellness services to the community.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/community/collaborative-research-between-paws-of-cny-community-link-program-indicates-emotional-benefits-of-pet-therapy-for-college-students/

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