The benefits of service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder have been captured anecdotally but there has been a lack of empirical research on the use of the animals as a medical intervention.
Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine have produced a paper that provides an understanding the relationship between veterans and service dogs. This could lead to life-changing improvements in health care for veterans.
In a new study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, the researchers found that veterans who worked with service dogs experienced significantly lower self-reported and clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity, lower anxiety and depression, a significantly higher quality of life and fewer feelings of isolation.
Veterans working with service dogs also had 66% lower odds of receiving a PTSD diagnosis from a mental health professional after three months with a dog.
The lack of data on service dogs as medical care has created challenges for veterans seeking treatment, according to lead researcher Sarah Leighton, a member of the OHAIRE research group in the College of Veterinary Medicine. OHAIRE stands for The Organization for Human-Animal Interaction Research and Education.
Those challenges include limited funding for service dog non-profits that rely on donations, medical insurance companies that do not fund service dog intervention, and legislative gaps in terms of protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities partnered with service dogs.
“We know that veterans with PTSD are struggling,” Leighton said in a statement sent to Digital Journal. “Rates of death by suicide among veterans with PTSD are about one-and-a half times higher than civilian adults, and they also have very high rates of other conditions like depression and anxiety. We’re really seeking to identify complementary interventions that can support veterans with PTSD, and hopefully improve their outcomes.”
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health problem some people develop “after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or traumatic event” and is slightly more common in veterans than in the general population. The number of veterans with PTSD varies by demographic, service era and available data, but The National Library of Medicine concludes that upwards of 23% of veterans experience PTSD during their lifetime. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares and panic attacks. Suicide and thoughts of suicide are also closely linked to PTSD. A 2020 study by the Department of Veterans Affairs found the rate of suicide among veterans is nearly double that of the civilian population.
Service dogs are trained to perform tasks that help those with disabilities, and their training can be tailored to different circumstances. For a veteran with PTSD, a service dog may retrieve medication or perform anxiety-relieving actions like nuzzling or leaning against a person when a heightened state of anxiety in sensed.
To find out whether working with a service dog can impact medical outcomes, Leighton and her colleagues recruited 156 veterans on a waiting list for a service dog through K9s For Warriors, a U.S. national non-profit that specializes in service dog care, training and interaction.
All participants had regular access to their existing medical care, which could range from mainstream interventions like therapy or medication to complementary and integrative health interventions such as acupuncture or meditation. The veterans paired with service dogs took a three-week, in-person course that included 40 hours a week of instruction in service dog care, training and interaction, as well as written and hands-on testing.
The service dogs in the study received an average of six months of expert training and socialization to prepare them for their working role.
The veterans’ wellness was measured at the start of the study and after three months. The study results provide clear evidence that partnership with a service dog may be a highly effective complementary medical intervention.
While the results of the study support veterans partnering with service dogs to reduce PTSD symptoms, the researchers say more work must be done to better understand exactly how working with a service dog impacts other treatments for PTSD.
Going forwards, the researchers hope to discover if working with a service dog during therapy leads to fewer trauma symptoms and less severe PTSD, less suicidal thinking, better biological, physiological and social well-being, and an easier time completing prolonged exposure therapy.
