Author:
Goetter Elizabeth M.,Sylvia Louisa G.,Tanev Kaloyan S.,Xu Bingyu,McCarthy Megan D.,Lynch Elyse,Stasko Cory,Hartvigsen Nathan,Harward Laura,Wright Edward C.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine differences between military veterans and service members with and without a psychiatric assistance dog (PAD) who were receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Six hundred eighty-two military veterans presented at a 2-week intensive, outpatient CBT program for PTSD from February 2016 to February 2020. Self-reports of symptoms and rates of treatment completion by PAD ownership were assessed. Patients with PADs (
n
= 93) reported higher scores on the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (
P
= .04; Cohen's
d
= 0.23) and Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (
P
< .01; Cohen's
d
= 0.34) at baseline. PTSD symptom change was comparable between participants with and without PADs (
P
> .05). Dropout was higher among owners of PADs, but this difference was not significant (
P
= .11). Among military populations, those with PADs may experience more severe PTSD and neuro-cognitive symptoms, but having a PAD was not associated with treatment outcome in intensive CBT.
[
Psychiatr Ann
. 2022;52(5):191–198.]
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health
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