Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Beike, Denise

Committee Member

Chapman, Kate

Second Committee Member

Morello, Valentina

Third Committee Member

Allen, Spencer

Abstract

Self-disclosure has been defined as the voluntary sharing of personal thoughts and experiences with another individual, and in recent years, it has been associated with improvements in psychological and physiological well-being. Recent research into animal-assisted therapy has also demonstrated the emotional benefits of interacting with dogs. However, the current research has not yet explored how the specific act of self-disclosure to dogs affects emotional well-being. The present study explored the effects of self-disclosure to dogs on stress, ability to cope, and emotional well-being. Participants (N = 113) included dog owners who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: self-disclosure to their dog, a control group involving touch-only interaction with their dog, or a control group involving writing about a stressful event. Participants completed self-report measures of pleasantness and arousal (anxiety) before and after a three-minute task, as well as measures of perceived ability to cope, loneliness, and emotional closeness to their dog. The results showed that participants in the Disclosure and Touch-only conditions reported significantly greater increases in pleasantness when thinking about the stressful event compared to participants in the Writing condition. Participants in these two conditions also reported significantly higher emotional closeness to their dog. However, no significant differences were found for coping ability, loneliness, or anxiety when thinking about the stressful event. These findings suggest that interacting with a dog while reflecting on a stressful thought may improve some aspects of emotional well-being, with further research needed to explore the extent of these benefits.

Keywords

self-disclosure; stress; coping; emotional well-being; dogs; human-animal interaction

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