Everyone knows that dogs are man's best friends – but recent research proves how important this friendship is for humans of all species. We used ChatGPT to understand why this is important.
Dr. John-Tyler Binft, Associate Lecturer in the School of Education and Director of Building Academic Conservation with Dogs at the Okanagan Campus of the University of British Columbia (Canada), is considered a pioneer in studying the profound benefits of dog-assisted therapy. His latest research aims to correct an interesting aberration in previous studies on the role of dogs in people's emotional well-being, in which most participants (i.e. women) were participants.
Dr. Binft sought to understand whether there are gender differences in how people respond to dog-assisted therapy. He researched the issue by creating separate dog therapy sessions for those who identified as women, men and other species. "This was one of the first studies to look at whether dog-assisted interventions work equally well for diverse genders," he said.
The study included 163 students, who chose their gender group and participated in 20-minute sessions of dog therapy on a first-come, first-served basis. Prior to these sessions, participants reported their well-being, including campus self-perceptions and social connection, happiness, optimism, stress, longing, and loneliness. 49% of participants identified as women, 33% as men, and 17% identified as non-binary and others. During the sessions, students interacted with therapy dogs and their handlers. Then, they completed a survey, which revealed significant improvements in well-being and reduced homesickness, stress and loneliness.
One of the study's key findings is that the positive effects of caring for dogs are consistent across diverse gender identities. Commenting on the results, Dr. Binft stated that "the vast majority of responses showed that the dogs helped students feel and experience something positive, regardless of their gender."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us