Examining first semester university students’ experience with pet separation anxiety, psychological mood and wellbeing, and effects of attendance to a drop-in animal visitation program

In response to concerns about university students stress and mental health, many universities offer animal visitation programs (AVPs). While popular, nothing is known about the role of students’ separation anxiety from their childhood pet(s) either in shaping experiences during the transition to university, their engagement in available AVPs, or their effects. Drawn from a random sample of first-year university students (N=2,000), this dissertation recruited incoming students separated from their family pet, and randomly assigned them to a semester long, bi-weekly AVP program featuring 2-hour sessions (N=105) or a waitlist control condition (N=104). Together, three independent manuscripts examine 1) the prevalence and predictors of pet separation anxiety (PSA); 2) the role of PSA and psychological mood symptoms predicting AVP uptake (e.g., frequency, duration); and 3) the efficacy of AVP on trajectories of psychological risk and resilience. Results from Paper 1 revealed that 1 in 4 students reported moderate-severe PSA during their first week on campus. Symptom severity was significantly related to people-substituting-pet-attachment (β=0.19, p=0.015), spending more time with pets compared to other pet owners (β=0.24, p=0.002), talking to pets (β=0.19, p=0.009), and pet-co-sleeping (β=0.16, p=0.027). Results from Paper 2 revealed that early program attendance was informed by students’ mental health history (B= -0.876, p=0.03, OR=0.417), early semester stress (B= -0.177, p=0.04, OR=0.838) and anxiety (B= 0.179, p=0.01, OR=1.196). Overall attendance frequency (β=-0.342, p=0.004, d=0.697) and duration (β=-0.286, p=0.03, d=0.529) were negatively associated with high PSA. Results from Paper 3 showed students in the AVP condition had more adaptive trajectory slopes for depression (B=-3.05, p=0.01, d=0.514), worry (B=-3.92, p=0.04, d=0.416,) stress, (B=-1.94, p=0.05, d=0.386), and self-compassion (B=4.03, p=3 sessions) and high PSA were controlled. This dissertation suggests PSA is important both in considering students' risk during the transition to university, the influence on uptake of AVPs and their effects on psychological wellbeing. In sum, while AVPs are considered a resource for students missing their pets, high PSA students are less likely to attend AVPs efficacious in preventing declines in psychological adjustment during what many experience as a stressful transition.