Michaela Souckova
@czu.cz
Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU)
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Animal Science and Zoology
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Lucie Přibylová, Michaela Součková, Martina Frühauf Kolářová, Hana Vostrá-Vydrová, and Helena Chaloupková
Elsevier BV
Michaela Součková, Lucie Přibylová, Lenka Jurčová, and Helena Chaloupková
Elsevier BV
Kristýna Machová, Radka Procházková, Mariana Vadroňová, Michaela Součková, and Eliška Prouzová
MDPI AG
As university students face many stressful situations, especially during the examination period, this study focused on the use of animal-assisted activities (AAAs) with a dog as a means of relieving students’ stress before a final exam. The aim was to determine whether a 10-min interaction with a dog affected subjectively evaluated stress and mood, objective blood pressure, and heart rate. Ninety-three female students (mean age = 22.5 years; standard deviation = 3.8 years) were divided into three groups according to their preference. The first group underwent AAAs (n = 26), the second group chose a relaxation technique (n = 28), and the last one was a control group (n = 39). Physiological values were measured using a pressure gauge and the subjective feelings of stress and mood were evaluated by the Likert scale 1–5. The AAA group showed significant improvement after 10 min of interaction in both mood and stress, with no change in heart rate and blood pressure. The remaining groups showed a significant decrease in blood pressure, but not in heart rate, with different evaluations of mood and stress. AAAs with a dog appear to be effective in improving students’ mood and stress without affecting their physiological parameters.
Kristýna Machová, Michaela Součková, Radka Procházková, Zdislava Vaníčková, and Kamal Mezian
MDPI AG
As nursing is one of the most stressful occupations worldwide, its management warrants more attention to identify possible ways to cope with its pressures. This study aims to evaluate whether animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with the presence of a dog affects the stress level of nurses. As a stress biomarker, we used salivary cortisol level testing. Twenty female nurses (mean age: 30) in physical medicine (PMR) (n = 11) and the department of internal medicine and long-term care (IM < C) (n = 9). On each of the three observed days, saliva was collected at 10 a.m. and then again after 50 min. The first sampling was performed during a normal working process without a break (Condition A), the second was carried out during a normal working process with a break of choice (Condition B), and the third sampling was performed during a normal working process with a break with AAT (Condition C). All participants were enrolled in all three interventional conditions in a randomized order. The results demonstrated the effect of a reduction of cortisol levels in Condition C, where AAT was included (p = 0.02) only in nurses recruited from the IM < C department. By way of explanation, nurses from the PMR department already showed low cortisol levels at baseline. We propose including AAT with a dog in healthcare facilities where nurses are at a high risk of stress.