Null effects of therapy dog interaction on adolescent anxiety during a laboratory-based social evaluative stressor

Abstract

Background and objectives: Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are increasingly popular as treatments to reduce anxiety. However, there is little empirical evidence testing the mechanisms of action in AAIs, especially among adolescents. We examined whether two possible mechanisms, social interaction and/or physical contact with a therapy dog, might reduce anxiety during a social stressor.

Design and methods: To test these mechanisms, we randomly assigned 75 adolescents with low, middle, and high levels of social anxiety to complete a laboratory-based social evaluative stressor in one of three conditions: social interaction with a therapy dog (no physical interaction), social plus physical interaction with a therapy dog, or no interaction with a therapy dog. We measured self-reported anxiety and autonomic reactivity during the social stressor to assess the effects of contact with a therapy dog.

Results and conclusions: We found no evidence that the presence of a real dog, with or without the opportunity to touch it, reduced anxiety or autonomic reactivity or improved cognitive performance relative to the presence of a stuffed dog in the control condition, regardless of levels of preexisting social anxiety.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03249116.

Keywords: Social anxiety; animal-assisted therapy; emotion regulation; human-animal interaction; social stress.

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Self-reported Anxiety by Condition and Social Anxiety Level Note. Values are estimated marginal means controlling for self-reported anxiety at the first baseline time point. The three panels reflect participants reporting low, mid, and high levels of social anxiety (SA) from left to right. In each panel, we show level of anxiety from shortly after consent (time 1) to just prior to the preparation phase of the TSST-C (second baseline; time 2) to just prior to the debriefing phrase (time 6). Lines correspond to the three experimental conditions (social only [SO], social and physical [SP] and control [CO]). Values are estimated marginal means controlling for self-reported anxiety at the first baseline, just after consent. The values were obtained in a three-way analysis of variance in self-reported anxiety treating social anxiety as a categorical variable (low, middle, high).

Figure 2

Electrodermal Activity by Condition and Social Anxiety Level Note. The three panels reflect participants reporting low, mid, and high levels of social anxiety (SA) from left to right. Values are estimated marginal means controlling for electrodermal activity (EDA) at baseline (time 1), just after consent. In each panel, we show level of EDA from the first baseline, just after consent (time 1), to just prior to the preparation phase of the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST-C; time 2, −5–0 minutes), to just prior to the debriefing phase (time 6; +40–45 minutes). control). Lines correspond to the three experimental conditions (social only [SO], social and physical [SP] and control [CO]). Values are estimated marginal means controlling for EDA at baseline (time 1), just after consent. As in previous figures, the three panels reflect participants reporting low, mid, and high levels of social anxiety. In each panel, we show level of EDA from the first baseline, just after consent (time 1), to just prior to the preparation phase of the TSST-C (time 2, −5–0 minutes), to just prior to the debriefing phase (time 6; +40–45 minutes). Lines correspond to the three experimental conditions.

Figure 3

Cognitive Performance (Correct Responses) by Condition and Social Anxiety Level Note. Cognitive performance (highest number of correct responses in the best attempt) by condition (social only [SO], social and physical [SP] and control [CO]) and social anxiety level; the three panels reflect participants reporting low, mid, and high levels of social anxiety (SA) from left to right.

Figure 4

Cognitive Performance (Number of Errors) by Condition and Social Anxiety Level Note. Cognitive performance (number of errors) by condition (social only [SO], social and physical [SP] and control [CO]) and social anxiety level; the three panels reflect participants reporting low, mid, and high levels of social anxiety (SA) from left to right.