# Behavioral Predictors of Adolescent Anxiety During Therapy Dog Interactions Within an Experimental Setting

## TL;DR

This study explores how interactions between adolescents and therapy dogs may affect anxiety levels, finding limited behavioral links but suggesting a need for further research.

## Contribution

The study provides preliminary insights into behavioral mechanisms of animal-assisted interventions for adolescent anxiety and dog welfare.

## Key findings

- Most adolescent–dog behaviors were not associated with adolescent stress reactivity.
- Dog shaking-off and yawning were weakly negatively linked to adolescent arousal.
- Results suggest a need for replication with larger samples and diverse physiological markers.

## Abstract

Animal-assisted interventions are growing in popularity as a potential treatment option for adolescents with social anxiety. However, research on the behaviors between adolescents and therapy dogs that lead to changes in adolescent anxiety is limited. This study aimed to examine how stress-linked and affiliative behaviors in both adolescents and dogs might be associated with participant stress reactivity within an experimental setting. The primary results indicated that most adolescent–dog behaviors measured in this study were not associated with adolescent reactivity. However, dog shaking-off and yawning behaviors were negatively associated with changes in adolescent arousal, though the statistical relationships were weak. While replication and expansion are needed to draw generalizable conclusions, this study provides initial insight into the role of adolescent–dog interactions within animal-assisted interventions.

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are emerging as a promising treatment avenue for adolescent social anxiety. However, the behavioral mechanisms underlying positive results remain unclear. In addition, behavioral signs of discomfort or stress in therapy dogs may suggest concerns about the dog’s welfare. This study examined the associations between stress-linked and affiliative behaviors of adolescents and therapy dogs with adolescent stress reactivity outcomes within an experimental setting in a sample of 50 participants. Linear regression models primarily indicated null findings, with no significant relationships between adolescent affiliative, dog affiliative, or adolescent stress behaviors to self-reported anxiety or psychophysiological arousal. However, the stress-linked behaviors of shake-off and yawning in dogs were negatively associated with adolescent stress reactivity, although the relationships had small effect sizes. These findings provide preliminary insights into the behavioral mechanisms related to changes in adolescent arousal and implications for dog welfare within AAIs. Future research should replicate with larger samples, test for effects with different dogs, and use diverse physiological stress markers for both species involved in the intervention. Additionally, examining the temporal relationships between adolescents and therapy dog behaviors to stress reactivity outcomes would provide insight into causal relationships.