John Plahovinsak
A new National Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), concluded that veterans with a service dogs had a “bigger improvement on average than veterans on the waiting list for a trained dog” and helped ease Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in military veterans.
This Research Study was published on June 4, 2024 in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, a consortium of peer-reviewed, general medical and specialty publications.
Researchers hope that this Study will spur and expand options for service members suffering with PTSD. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implements a pilot program involving trained service dogs with veterans with PTSD.
The VA has the authority to prescribe service dogs for certain veterans diagnosed with visual, hearing, or sustained mobility impairment. The VA also includes eligible veterans with PTSD and will cover costs associated with having a service dog.
The VA’s Administration and Department of the Army only provide financial support for dogs trained by an Assistance Dogs International or International Guide Dog Federation accredited facility.
The small Research Study compared eighty-one (81) veterans who received service dogs with seventy-five (75) veterans who were on the waiting list for a trained dog. The Study lasted three (3) months.
The PTSD symptoms were measured by psychology doctoral students, who were not aware of which veterans had service dogs. The service dogs, according to the Study, are trained to pick up a veteran’s physical signs of anxiety, depression, and higher psychosocial functioning.
“We know veterans are struggling,” said Doctor Maggie O’ Haire, co-author of the Study. “They have much higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts than the general population.”
According to VA statistics, PTSD affects as many as thirty (30%) percent of Iraq War veterans over their lifetimes. The symptoms vary but include nightmares, flashbacks, numbness, or the feeling of veterans being constantly on edge.
According to VA statistics, PTSD affects as many as thirty (30%) percent of Iraq War veterans over their lifetimes. The symptoms vary but include nightmares, flashbacks, numbness, or the feeling of veterans being constantly on edge.
“Using dogs to help people with physical challenges is nothing new, but having dogs ease mental health conditions such as PTSD and anxiety is a relatively recent innovation,” said Doctor O’Haire, of the University of Arizona’s Veterinary College. “That’s part of the reason it hasn’t really been studied in depth.”
“But research was needed,” O’Haire said, “because funding sources, policy makers and insurance companies all rely on evidence and data.”
“The dogs might not work for everyone,” she claimed, “and they’re not the only intervention – talk therapy, medications and continued support also help people struggling with mental health – but dogs can be part of the solution, the recent study shows.”
“Dogs have been helping people of all ages with varying disabilities for centuries, boosting independence, sense of safety, peace of mind and confidence,” said Dr. Xiaoduo Fan, a psychiatrist and professor at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, who studies schizophrenia.
“Research has found that service dogs, particularly the psychiatric kind, also help in many ways,” said Dr. Fan, “such as reducing suicide attempts and improving an owners’ ability to attend medical appointments.”
The service dogs utilized in the Study were provided by a nonprofit organization, called K9s for Warriors. These dogs were screened for temperament and their ability to obey commands and trained for six to eight months.
The dogs’ training includes three main cues. “Look,” which tells the dog, in military parlance, to “watch my six,” helpful for people wary of enclosed spaces or being unable to see all around themselves.
“On my lap,” in which the dog acts as a comforting weight and calming presence; and “front,” which tells the dog to form a buffer between the veteran and others, mitigating hyper-vigilance they might feel in crowds.
My Opinion: Service dogs are not pets. They play a crucial role in assisting veterans with disabilities by performing specific tasks directly related to their veteran’s needs.
Unlike emotional support or comfort dogs, service dogs are specifically trained to provide essential services that enable the veteran to function in daily life.
The recent NIH Study re-enforces the value of service dogs to veterans. However, the size of the Research Study (156 Participants) and overall duration of the Study (only 3 months) impacts its’ overall value.
Dr. O’ Haire should be commended for this attempt, but several longer lasting studies should be made on this topic. From this Study, eighty-one (81) veterans suffering from PTSD have made significant progress by using service dogs. This is a start, but only a start to reducing the effects of veteran’s PTSD.
Bio Sketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio’s Hospital Chairman and the Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.