Job Satisfaction, Mood, Stress
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of the current study is to determine if participating in a therapy dog activity is associated with changes in perceived stress, mood, and job satisfaction and commitment. A secondary goal is to explore a potential dose effect of multiple treatments as well as control for novelty effect.
Detailed description
This study will be conducted at Aetna Headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut. A pre-post repeated measures design will be used to compare study participant outcomes between a treatment (therapy dog activity) and comparison (low impact physical activity) condition. Outcome variables of interest are perceived stress measured by a stress visual analog scale (SVAS), mood measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and job satisfaction and commitment measured by an investigator-developed Job Satisfaction Survey (consisting of a combination of existing validated scales). Pet ownership, attitudes toward dogs measured by the Dog Attitude Scale, and trait stress, measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, will be assessed as moderating variables.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTherapy dog activity
Visiting therapy dogs and their owners, evaluated and registered as therapy dog teams with Pet Partners will be spread around a large room on the Aetna campus. Employees will arrive at scheduled times to visit with the dogs for 15 minutes, talking to the dogs and owners and petting the dogs
BEHAVIORALLow impact exercise
The low impact exercise will consist of stretching exercises conducted by a member of Aetna's wellness team in the same room for 15 minutes.
Sponsors
Pet Partners
Aetna, Inc.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Current Aetna employees
Exclusion criteria
* Individuals not employed by Aetna. Note:employees are self-selecting to participate, therefore dog fears or allergies are not listed as
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Single Item Stress Measure | Baseline to week 3 | Changes in self reported stress on visual analog scale (VAS) immediately before and after each activity. Scale ranges from none to most severe imaginable on 15 cm scale. |
| 20-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule | Baseline to week 3 | Self reported mood immediately before and after each activity. Each item is scored 1-5 (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). 10 items comprise the positive affect scale with scores ranging from 10 - 50, with higher scores indicating higher positive affect. 10 items comprise the negative affect scale with total scores ranging from 10 - 50, with lower scores indicating lower negative affect. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Single Item Stress Measure | Baseline to week 5 | Changes in self reported stress on visual analog scale (VAS) after two intervention activities. Scale ranges from none to most severe imaginable on 15 cm scale. |
| 20-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule | Baseline to week 5 | Self reported mood two intervention activities. Each item is scored 1-5 (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). 10 items comprise the positive affect scale with scores ranging from 10 - 50, with higher scores indicating higher positive affect. 10 items comprise the negative affect scale with total scores ranging from 10 - 50, with lower scores indicating lower negative affect. |
| 9-item Job Satisfaction and Commitment Scale | Baseline to week 5 | Self reported job satisfaction ( 3 items) and commitment (6 items) at baseline, after the first and last activity. Each item is scored 1-5 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 9-45 with higher scores indicating greater job satisfaction and commitment |
Outcome results
None listed