Kerri E Rodriguez, Lindsey M Anderson, Carol A Ott, Marguerite E O'Haire
{"title":"The Effect of a PTSD Service Dog on Military Veterans' Medication Regimens: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.","authors":"Kerri E Rodriguez, Lindsey M Anderson, Carol A Ott, Marguerite E O'Haire","doi":"10.1080/08927936.2021.1898219","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent research suggests that service dogs may have clinically-relevant benefits for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the effects of PTSD service dogs on veterans' medication use has been largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of PTSD service dogs on medication use among a population of military veterans with PTSD. In a cross-sectional design, United States post-9/11 military veterans with PTSD were recruited from a single service dog provider including veterans living with a PTSD service dog (<i>n</i> = 52) and veterans on the waitlist (<i>n</i> = 44). Both populations of veterans received treatment as usual. Participants completed an online survey of self-reported medication regimens and medication changes. Regression models quantified the effect of having a service dog on physical health, mental health, pain, and sleep medications while controlling for confounding variables (age, sex, relationship status, traumatic brain injuries, and physical health). Results indicated that there were no significant effects of having a service dog on overall self-reported medication use nor any specific medication category (<i>p</i>'s > 0.06). However, veterans with a service dog were more likely than those on the waitlist to report that their doctor had decreased dosage or removed medications since getting their service dog. The results of this preliminary cross-sectional research should be interpreted with caution, as future within-subject and pharmacy-verified research is necessary to understand the causality of these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":50748,"journal":{"name":"Anthrozoos","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/08927936.2021.1898219","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Anthrozoos","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2021.1898219","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2021/4/23 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"SOCIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Recent research suggests that service dogs may have clinically-relevant benefits for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the effects of PTSD service dogs on veterans' medication use has been largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of PTSD service dogs on medication use among a population of military veterans with PTSD. In a cross-sectional design, United States post-9/11 military veterans with PTSD were recruited from a single service dog provider including veterans living with a PTSD service dog (n = 52) and veterans on the waitlist (n = 44). Both populations of veterans received treatment as usual. Participants completed an online survey of self-reported medication regimens and medication changes. Regression models quantified the effect of having a service dog on physical health, mental health, pain, and sleep medications while controlling for confounding variables (age, sex, relationship status, traumatic brain injuries, and physical health). Results indicated that there were no significant effects of having a service dog on overall self-reported medication use nor any specific medication category (p's > 0.06). However, veterans with a service dog were more likely than those on the waitlist to report that their doctor had decreased dosage or removed medications since getting their service dog. The results of this preliminary cross-sectional research should be interpreted with caution, as future within-subject and pharmacy-verified research is necessary to understand the causality of these findings.
期刊介绍:
A vital forum for academic dialogue on human-animal relations, Anthrozoös is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that has enjoyed a distinguished history as a pioneer in the field since its launch in 1987. The key premise of Anthrozoös is to address the characteristics and consequences of interactions and relationships between people and non-human animals across areas as varied as anthropology, ethology, medicine, psychology, veterinary medicine and zoology. Articles therefore cover the full range of human–animal relations, from their treatment in the arts and humanities, through to behavioral, biological, social and health sciences.