A quantitative study analysing perceived stress and pet ownership in working University students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the mean perceived stress scores (MPSS) of working university students who own a pet differs from MPSS of those who do not own a pet. The research was conducted using quantitative methods through an online survey which was distributed through social media (Facebook). The survey was divided into two parts: demographic questions and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). All eight hypotheses were tested using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test to determine if there was a significant difference between MPSS and variables. The main hypothesis was not statistically significant showing that working students who own a pet did not report lower MPSS than working students who did not own a pet. Moreover, results illustrated there is no statistically significant difference in MPSS between working university students who own a pet and those who do not own a pet.The main limitation of this study is the sample size. More studies need to be conducted to investigate stress levels of working students and pet owners in more detail.