Veterans with PTSD get ‘significant’ benefits from service dogs, first NIH-funded study finds This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The positive impact of service dogs on the mental health of U.S. military veterans has been widely recognized.
The first clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in June looked into exactly how pairing service dogs with PTSD-diagnosed veterans improves symptoms.
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The University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine partnered with K9s For Warriors – the nation’s largest provider of trained service dogs, based in Florida – to study over 156 military veterans over three months, based on their self-reported symptoms and doctors’ assessments.
The largest nationwide survey of its kind analyzed service dog partnerships in 81 vets compared to those who received traditional care without a dog.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Marine Corps veteran Bill Lins, a sergeant from 2004 to 2016, is pictured here with his dog, Link. Lins suffered from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury after he left the service. The study looked at each participant’s PTSD symptoms, including psychosocial functioning, quality of life and social health.
Veterans with service dogs were found to have a 66% lower chance of a PTSD diagnosis compared to a control group without dogs.
These respondents also experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as improvements in most areas of emotional and social well-being, the study found.K9s for Warriors chief program officer Kevin Steele noted in a press release that service dogs are "life-saving and life-transforming" for veterans. "Asking for help is a sign of strength," Marine veteran Bill Lins, pictured with his dog, Link, told Fox News Digital. "These dogs have enabled our warriors to better connect with family , friends and their community and to begin living the life they previously didn’t think was possible," he said. "The results of this study further prove that what we do here at K9s […]
Veterans with PTSD get ‘significant’ benefits from service dogs, first NIH-funded study finds
