Service Dogs for Veterans and Military Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Replication With the PTSD Checklist for DSM ‐5

AbstractPsychiatric service dogs are an emerging complementary intervention for veterans and military members with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent cross ‐sectional studies have documented significant, clinically relevant effects regarding service dogs and PTSD symptom severity. However, these studies were conducted using the PTSD Checklist (PCL) for the fourth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The present study aimed to replicate and advance these findings using the latest version of the PCL for the fifth edition of theDSM (PCL ‐5). Participants included 186 military members and veterans who had received a PTSD service dog (n = 112) or who were on the waitlist to receive one in the future (n = 74). A cross ‐sectional design was used to investigate the association between having a service dog and PCL‐5 total and symptom cluster scores. After controlling for demographic variables, there was a significant association between having a service dog and lower PTSD symptom severity both in total,B = ‐14.52,p< .001,d = ‐0.96, and with regard to each symptom cluster,ps< .001,ds = ‐0.78 to ‐0.94. The results replicated existing findings using the largest sample size to date and the most recent version of the PCL. These findings provide additional preliminary evidence for the efficacy of service dogs as a complementary intervention for military members and veterans with PT SD and add to a growing body of foundati...
Source: Journal of Traumatic Stress - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research