Training a service dog not only changes the life of another veteran; it can also help heal the trainer. A new study finds that volunteering with dogs can slow biological aging in female veterans with PTSD while reducing stress and anxiety.
Finding effective ways to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans, especially those who have experienced combat, is a worthwhile goal that has occupied the minds of many researchers over the years. However, it is an unfortunate reality that female veterans are often underrepresented in this type of research.
From a new study led by Florida Atlantic University (FAU), in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Nursingthe Medical University of GeorgiaAnd Warrior Canine Connectionresearchers looked at whether helping train service dogs could improve mental and biological markers of stress in female veterans with PTSD.
“Female veterans face unique reintegration challenges that are often overlooked, and traditional PTSD treatments do not always meet their needs,” said the study’s lead author. Cheryl Krause-Parello, PhDa research professor at FAU’s College of Nursing. “Nontraditional approaches like connecting with animals can provide meaningful support. These relationships provide emotional security and stability, which can be especially powerful for women. But not all veterans can care for a service animal, so animal-related volunteer work can provide similar healing benefits without the burden of ownership.”
The researchers recruited 28 female veterans, ages 32 to 72, all of whom had been diagnosed with PTSD. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the Service Dog Training Program (SDTP) group, 13 women trained dogs for other veterans under the Warrior Canine Connection program. They attended weekly one-hour sessions with a certified trainer for eight weeks. The other group was a control group, in which 15 women watched dog training videos but did not get any real dog interaction.
Participant assessments were conducted before, midway through and after the eight-week program and included measuring biological and psychological markers. Biological markers include telomere length, which is a marker of cellular aging (longer telomeres indicate slower aging), and heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of stress resistance (a higher HRV is better). The psychological markers measured included PTSD symptom severity, perceived stress and anxiety. The researchers also checked whether exposure to combat affected the outcomes.
Telomere length increased slightly in the dog training group, while it decreased in the control group, indicating slower cell aging in women who trained service dogs. This difference was strongest among women exposed to combat. Somewhat unexpectedly, HRV even dropped – meaning stress increased – in the dog training group, possibly because outdoor in-person sessions during COVID protocols introduced new stressors. No change in HRV was observed in the control group.
In both groups, participants showed lower PTSD symptom severity, less perceived stress, and less anxiety. However, these improvements did not differ between groups. So the dog training itself did not provide greater mental health benefits than just watching training videos. The researchers think that simply participating in the study and receiving attention may have given the women support.
The researchers acknowledge the limitations of the study, including the fact that the sample size was small; results are ‘suggestive’ rather than conclusive. It was also short-lived. Eight weeks is too short to fully capture biological changes, such as telomere growth. Physical exercise during dog training versus sitting to watch videos made comparisons of HRV between the groups difficult. Participants’ stress likely increased when the study was paused and resumed with outdoor sessions due to COVID-19. Finally, many women reported military sexual trauma, which could influence how they respond to animal-assisted therapy.
“This study underscores the power of service dog training as a meaningful, non-pharmacological intervention to support the health and healing of female veterans with PTSD,” said Krause-Parello. “It opens the door to more personalized approaches that nourish both the mind and the body.”
In the future, larger studies could examine long-term effects, include different types of trauma, and use more precise biological measures such as telomere activity. For now, however, this study supports the idea that purposeful, animal-assisted volunteerism can play a valuable role in the recovery and reintegration of female veterans.
The research was published in the journal Behavioral sciences.
Source: Warrior Canine Connection
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