Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD: Taxonomy, Work Stress Reduction, and Matching

Abstract

Research suggests that many veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) struggle with reintegration (Sayer et al., 2010), but are unlikely to seek help or complete treatment (Schottenbauer et al., 2008). To make matters worse, available treatment options are often time consuming, challenging, and/or associated with negative side effects (Carafano & Hutchinson, 2017). Using animals as a treatment modality for veterans with PTSD is an emerging topic of interest and has shown promise (Owen, et al., 2016; Richie et al., 2016). However, several factors have hindered the advancement of this field. Obstacles include a lack of standard terminology and classification system, a need for empirical research to support the effectiveness of animal assisted interventions, and consideration of individual differences in response to animal assisted interventions. This investigation aims to fill these voids by proposing a novel taxonomy to promote research and development, describing an innovative investigation into whether the presence of a dog impacts veterans' stress response to a task, and exploring whether the relationship between personality characteristics of service dogs and veterans impacts the success of the team. Results suggest that the demand for service dogs for veterans in the Unites States is growing and currently exceeds the supply. In addition, the inconsistent findings in the literature regarding therapeutic effects of assistance animals may be due to whether the team is compatible. This study found a potential correlation between veteran and service dog assertiveness and the benefits provided by the presence of the dog. Due to methodological concerns, results must be interpreted cautiously. More research in this area is needed, and future recommendations are provided.

Assistance dogs for military veterans with PTSD: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-synthesis

“…Two studies found significant positive impacts on stress as assessed through objective measures. Using physiological measurement (i.e., a cardiography device) one study found a lower average heart rate in the presence of a dog, in combination with reduced negative affect as measured through the PANAS Negative Affect subscale [ 58 ]. Another study measured salivary cortisol and found that the assistance dog intervention group had a more typical cortisol awakening response compared to the control group, a possible indicator of improved well-being through the hormonal stress-response system [ 57 ].…”

“…Finally, two dissertations examined the assistance dog partnership through the lens of attachment styles, finding that attachment anxiety was associated with partnership of an assistance dog in general [ 59 ] and that alignment in degree of assertiveness between the handler and the assistance dog (as opposed to one party being highly assertive and the other being less assertive) was associated with faster recovery from stress reactions [ 58 ].…”

Handlers’ Expectations and Perceived Compatibility regarding the Partnership with Their First Guide Dogs

“…A service dog matching tool was developed by Zapf and Rough [24], involving assessment, of the client only, around functional needs, prior experience with animals, typical activity level, affective state and resources. It was described in a recent doctoral thesis as the only published matching tool but one that is too brief and possibly excluding of factors that are important to a successful service dog/client match [25]. A profiling tool was recently developed by Meyer and colleagues [26] which can be used to classify people with impaired vision into four different types of travelers in order to match them with appropriate guide dogs.…”