Impact of Service Dogs on Family Members' Psychosocial Functioning.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings provide preliminary evidence that, in addition to having an impact on recipients, service dogs can affect several aspects of family members' psychosocial health and functioning. WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS: This research demonstrates that the impact of a service dog may extend beyond the recipient and have positive impacts on family members' psychosocial functioning as well. Occupational therapy practitioners should include family members in discussions regarding the integration of a service dog into the home and recognize the potential for family-wide effects from the service dog's assistance. PMID: 31120842 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Occupational Therapy - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Tags: Am J Occup Ther Source Type: research