Psychiatric Service Dogs for Veterans with Military Sexual Trauma

Abstract

Military sexual trauma (MST) is a traumatic experience caused by physical assault or harassment of a sexual nature that occurred during active duty or training. MST is pervasive, being reported by more than 30% of post-9/11 women veterans. MST is impactful and associated with more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent findings show partnership with a trained service dogis associated with lower anxiety and depression for veterans with PTSD. However, the effects of service dog partnerships specifically for veterans with MST remain unclear. This study involved 142 post-9/11 veterans (19% women, Mage=39 years [SD=8.2], age range=22-67 years) with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. They were recruited from the waitlist of an accredited service dog organization and participated in an NIH-funded nonrandomized, pre-registered clinical trial (R21HD091896, NCT03245814). Of the total sample, 40 veterans (28%) disclosed a history of MST. Among women, there was a 96% rate of reporting MST (26 of 27 total women in the study). Participants completed standardized surveys at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Half of the participants (n=80, including n=21 disclosing MST) were paired with a service dog immediately after baseline assessment. Standardized survey measures assessed depression, anxiety, companionship, suicidal ideation intensity, and PTSD severity. Veterans who disclosed a history of MST had significantly higher baseline PTSD symptom severity compared to those who did not report MST. Baseline PTSD symptom severity within the MST group did not vary by gender, with no significant differences between men and women. While service dog partnership was associated with marginally lower PTSD severity for MST survivors, it was not associated with depression, anxiety, companionship, or suicidality in our sample. Future research should explore whether human-animal bond strength may mediate the efficacy of partnership with a trained service dog among veterans with a history of MST.