Bleeding control education has taken a much more prominent focus in saving lives over the past decade. While many non-medically trained civilians are receiving Stop the Bleed training, throughout their time as students, baccalaureate nursing students prominently struggle in pre-hospital emergencies. Not only would the implementation of Stop the Bleed education into baccalaureate nursing improve client outcomes, it can further spread and share the message of bleeding control, as well as enhance the student experience.

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged on an international scale, the disruption of routine and social interactions caused challenges in mental health, as people began to self-isolate and confine themselves from the world. Although the sudden interruption of social interaction led to stress and anxiety, human-animal interactions have shown a decrease in stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness and social isolation. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether companion animals influence mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, in college-aged students who attended the Arizona State University Downtown Campus during the 2020-2021 academic school year.