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Service dogs can alleviate some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, according to a study that our team published in June 2024 in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
Service dogs are much more than pets. (K9s For Warriors photo)
Over the past decade, our research group has been investigating whether trained service dogs can help veterans with PTSD – a mental health condition that some people develop after experiencing a traumatic event.
Based on our preliminary findings, we conducted the first and largest clinical trial of its kind to assess this additional intervention.
We recruited 156 post-September 11 veterans from the waiting list of K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit organization that matches trained service dogs with veterans with PTSD. Of that total, 81 received service dogs and 75 remained on the waiting list throughout the three-month study. Most had been deployed and served in the military; three-quarters were male and the average age was 38 years old.
All veterans initially completed online surveys about their well-being and were interviewed by expert physicians about their PTSD symptoms. We followed up for three months after they received a service dog or remained on the waiting list.
Those with guide dogs had less severe symptoms and a better quality of life. For example, they had milder depression and anxiety and better mood. They also had significantly lower odds of still meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
These results provide the most definitive evidence yet that service dogs are more than just pets. Our findings suggest that partnerships with these trained animals could provide lifesaving benefits for current and former military personnel.
PTSD can make it difficult for veterans to thrive.
Why it matters
With more than seventeen U.S. military veterans dying by suicide every day, their mental health is a pressing concern. Up to 29% of post-9/11 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD. There are some treatments available for PTSD, such as exposure therapy and medications. But barriers to care, stigmatization, and high dropout rates from treatment programs limit their effectiveness; thus, there is a push to identify additional treatment options.
For example, recent research has investigated the use of the drug MDMA, combined with psychotherapy, for PTSD. However, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted against approving the drug’s use as a PTSD treatment in June 2024 due to concerns about its safety and potential for abuse.
Service dogs are trained in specific tasks to assist with disabilities. For veterans with PTSD, a dog’s role may include interrupting a panic attack or lying on veterans’ laps to calm them down. People with disabilities have the legal right to be accompanied by their service dog in public, whether at a grocery store or at a baseball game.
Our findings could inform policymakers, health care providers and insurance companies about the value of service dogs for veterans with PTSD, potentially increasing funding for groups that train and place the animals and reducing wait times.
What’s next
We’re conducting a randomized clinical trial called the Service Dog and Veteran Experiences Study, or SERVES. It’s being done in partnership with K9s For Warriors and Canine Companions, another nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs to veterans.
In this next study, we will have a randomized group of veterans receive a service dog early or have it placed on the waiting list for control. We will follow these veterans for twelve months – instead of just three months – after they receive or do not receive a service dog.
The SERVES study will in turn be followed by a new randomized clinical trial, funded by the Department of Defense. It will investigate whether partnerships with service dogs can increase the effectiveness of prolonged exposure therapy, an existing gold-standard treatment for PTSD.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Sarah Leighton is a doctoral candidate in social psychology at the University of Arizona. She has a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and behavior from Cornell University and a master’s degree in the psychology of human-animal interaction from Purdue University.
Dr. Kerri Rodriguez is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine.
