Paws on Campus: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study of a Canine-assisted Intervention for Student Wellbeing

School:  Health in Social Science

Team Members:  Jo Williams, Andrew Gardiner, Jenny Leeder, Roxanne Hawkins, Laura Wauthier

Abstract

This PTAS award is to co-design a canine-assisted intervention programme for University of Edinburgh students: Paws on Campus. This new targeted canine-assisted intervention will be designed for students who are experiencing difficulties related to stress, anxiety and mood disturbance. It is the first of its kind in the UK; a sustainable green intervention to support students in need and ensure they can engage in their studies. Paws on Campus is a collaboration between School of Health in Social Science, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and Student Counselling. It will be run in collaboration with Canine Concern Scotland’s Therapets service. The intervention builds upon evidence from the US and will involve a series of targeted small group weekly sessions, designed to reduce student stress and anxiety, increase mood, and provide a resilience toolkit that students can use following the intervention.  

This PTAS project involves three elements: 1) co-production of the canine-assisted intervention with students to ensure it meets students’ needs and leads to measurable gains in mental health and wellbeing; 2) Feasibility testing using interviews with professionals involved in the programme to refine programme implementation and evaluation; 3) Acceptability testing with students using interviews and questionnaires to make sure that the programme is effective, acceptable, accessible and inclusive. This project will establish best practice and create an implementation and evaluation framework for Paws on Campus. Findings will be disseminated to staff and students across the University of Edinburgh, nationally across the UK, and internationally.