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Hoptown Chronicle
Service dogs can reduce the severity of PTSD for veterans: new research
By Sarah LeightonKerri Rodriguez,
2024-06-27
Service dogs can alleviate some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for veterans, according to a study our team published in June 2024 in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
Service dogs are much more than pets. (K9s For Warriors photo)
We recruited 156 post-9/11 veterans from the waitlist of K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit that matches trained service dogs with veterans who have PTSD. Of that total, 81 received service dogs and 75 remained on the waitlist throughout the three-month study. Most had been deployed and had served in the Army, three-quarters identified as male, and the average age was 38 years old.
All veterans initially completed online surveys about their well-being and were interviewed about their PTSD symptoms by expert clinicians. We followed up three months after they either got a service dog or remained on the waitlist.
Those with service dogs had less severe symptoms and better quality of life. For example, they had milder depression and anxiety and better moods. They also had significantly lower odds of still meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
These results provide the most definitive evidence to date that service dogs are more than just pets. Our findings suggest that partnerships with these trained animals can yield lifesaving benefits for current and former service members.
Service dogs are trained in specific tasks to help with a disability. For veterans with PTSD, a dog’s role could include interrupting a panic attack or laying across veterans’ laps to calm them. People with disabilities have a legal right to be accompanied by their service dogs in public, whether they’re at a supermarket or a baseball game.
Our findings can inform policymakers, health clinicians and insurance companies on the value of service dogs for veterans with PTSD, potentially increasing funding for groups that train and place the animals and shortening 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 collaboration 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 remain on the waitlist as a control. We will follow those veterans for 12 months – rather than just three months – after they receive a service dog or not.
Sarah Leighton is a PhD candidate in social psychology at the University of Arizona. She holds 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.
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