Fig 1.
Experimental design for the human component of the study.
Schematic of the experimental design of the study at Time 1 (T1), Time 2 (T2), and Time 3 (T3).
Fig 2.
Experimental design for the canine component of the study.
Schematic of the experimental design of the study at Time 1 (T1), Time 2 (T2), and Time 3 (T3).
Fig 3.
Mean ( ± SEM) stress scores of 122 students during the initial stress assessment (T1), immediately before meeting a dog (T2), and after (T3) interacting with a dog (A), and analyzed by sex (B). Superscripts indicate differences between groups (a, b) and over time (x, y, z).
Table 1.
Descriptive statistics. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) values for stress score, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate, and salivary cortisol in university students (n = 122; 30 males, 92 females).
Fig 4.
Mean ( ± SEM) systolic blood pressure of 122 students during the initial stress assessment (T1), immediately before meeting a dog (T2), and after (T3) interacting with a dog (A), and analyzed by sex (B). Superscripts indicate differences between groups over time (a, b) and over time (x, y, z).
Fig 5.
Mean ( ± SEM) diastolic blood pressure of 122 students during the initial stress assessment (T1), immediately before meeting a dog (T2), and after (T3) interacting with a dog (A), and analyzed by sex (B). Superscripts indicate differences between groups over time (a, b) and over time (x, y, z).
Fig 6.
Mean ( ± SEM) pulse rates of 122 students during the initial stress assessment (T1), immediately before meeting a dog (T2), and after (T3) interacting with a dog (A), and analyzed by sex (B). Superscripts indicate differences between groups over time (a, b) and over time (x, y, z).
Fig 7.
Mean ( ± SEM) salivary cortisol of 122 students during the initial stress assessment (T1), immediately before meeting a dog (T2), and after (T3) interacting with a dog (A), and analyzed by sex (B). Superscripts indicate differences between groups over time (x, y).