Co-Producing Paws on Campus: A Psychoeducational Dog-Facilitated Programme for University Students Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties

Joanne M. Williams (), Jillian Bradfield, Andrew Gardiner, Patricia Pendry and Laura Wauthier
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Joanne M. Williams: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK
Jillian Bradfield: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK
Andrew Gardiner: The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
Patricia Pendry: Department of Human Development, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Laura Wauthier: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: Declining student mental health is a global public health issue. Campus-based animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are popular and effective interventions to prevent and alleviate symptoms. How to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based, student-centred interventions that enjoy sustained stakeholder buy-in and support is less known. This paper presents the procedures and results of a three-stage co-production method and the resulting curriculum of a novel AAI aimed at university students experiencing serious mental health problems. Stage 1 shaped the focus and structure of the intervention based on online student surveying (N = 204) and consultations with stakeholders (N = 10), including representatives of Student Well-being Services leadership, veterinarians, animal welfare charities and Therapets volunteers. In Stage 2, we conducted co-production workshops with post-graduate students (N = 6), developing the curriculum based on Stage 1 insights. In Stage 3, through iterative prototyping and student feedback (N = 22) the Paws on Campus programme was finalised, resulting in a series of four, one-hour themed sessions: (1) Thoughts and Feelings, (2) Well-being and Welfare, (3) Care and Compassion and (4) Problem Solving and Help Seeking. We describe the co-production method and resulting programme characteristics and provide considerations for others interested in developing effective and sustainable AAIs for their respective populations and contexts.

Keywords: animal-assisted interventions; students; mental health; dogs; human-animal interaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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