Service Dogs for Veterans and Military Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Key Findings:

Military members and veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may benefit from partnering with trained psychiatric service dogs. This study aimed to assess the impact of this intervention on PTSD symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and psychosocial functioning among veterans.

Study Design:

The trial involved 156 veterans with PTSD, with 81 in the intervention group and 75 in the control group. The intervention group received a psychiatric service dog for PTSD, while the control group remained on the waiting list for the same service. Both groups had access to usual care.

Results:

After 3 months, the intervention group showed significantly lower PTSD symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and improved psychosocial functioning compared to the control group. These findings suggest that partnership with a trained psychiatric service dog may be an effective complementary intervention for military service-related PTSD.

Conclusion:

Overall, the nonrandomized controlled trial demonstrated that partnering with a trained psychiatric service dog was associated with lower PTSD symptom severity and improved psychosocial functioning in veterans.