JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Psychological stress is a significant contributor to hypertension and a common health risk for office workers. While non-pharmacological emotional interventions have gained attention, limited scientific evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of emotionally engaging animal-based video content. Some studies suggest that viewing animal videos can affect cardiovascular responses, but few have comprehensively assessed both physiological and psychological outcomes.

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the effects of a scientifically structured puppy video intervention on physiological (blood pressure, pulse rate) and psychological (state anxiety, mood) stress responses, and to compare pre–post changes between two groups of office workers classified as normotensive and hypertensive.

Methods:

A total of 66 Korean office workers (37 males, 29 females) participated in this non-randomized pre-post intervention study. Participants were classified as normotensive (n=36) or hypertensive (n=30) according to the 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines. All participants viewed five 3-minute immersive puppy videos (total duration: 15 minutes). Physiological indicators-systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate (PR) were assessed before and after the intervention through three consecutive measurements, with the average of the second and third readings used for analysis. Psychological outcomes included the 20-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the 30-item Korean Profile of Mood States-Brief (K-POMS-B). Paired t-tests were used to examine within-group pre-post changes, and independent t-tests were conducted to compare differences between groups.

Results:

In the normotensive group, significant reductions were observed in SBP (–3.16 mmHg, P = .002), PR (–2.76 bpm, P < .001), STAI (–6.64, P < .001), and several mood states including tension, anger, confusion, depression, and fatigue (P < .05). Vigor improved significantly (P = .03), while DBP change was not significant (–0.64 mmHg, P = .478). The hypertensive group showed greater improvements: SBP (–6.64 mmHg), DBP (–4.93 mmHg), PR (–4.12 bpm), and STAI (–9.43), all with P < .001. Mood states improved significantly except for vigor (P = .564). Between-group comparisons revealed a significantly greater reduction in DBP (ΔDBP: –7.78 vs –0.65, P = .034) and a near significant trend for SBP (P = .08). Fatigue reduction was more pronounced in the hypertensive group (P = .078), though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Structured puppy video viewing significantly alleviated physiological and psychological stress in both normotensive and hypertensive office workers. The hypertensive group experienced greater reductions in diastolic blood pressure and fatigue, suggesting potential relevance for managing blood pressure variability. These findings support the use of emotionally engaging, scalable digital content as a complementary non-pharmacological stress intervention in digital health settings.