ArticleJournal of consulting and clinical psychology2019
Preliminary evidence is promising, but challenges remain in providing service dogs to veterans: Commentary on preliminary efficacy of service dogs as a complementary treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in military members and veterans (O'Haire & Rodriguez, 2018).
Article in Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychiatric service dog placements are associated with better daily psychosocial functioning for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2024Trial
- Characterizing veteran and PTSD service dog teams: Exploring potential mechanisms of symptom change and canine predictors of efficacy.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Comment on
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveVeterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are interested in service dogs to manage or reduce symptoms. Until recently, evidence was anecdotal with few research studies documenting the feasibility or benefits of service dogs for veterans. In the past year, new studies have presented preliminary evidence on the benefits of service dogs.
methodComment on O'Haire and Rodriguez (2018).
resultsPositive findings presented in O'Haire and Rodriguez (2018) and Yarborough et al. (2017) included reduced self-reported PTSD symptoms, decreased depression symptoms, improvements in relationships, and increased activity levels. In addition to the benefits, Yarborough, Stumbo, Yarborough, Owen-Smith, and Green (2018) described challenges that veterans had not expected, including the demands of long, intensive training sessions required to receive a service animal, and an increase in unwanted public attention. In light of this preliminary evidence, a critical appraisal and identification of next steps for future research are in order. In this commentary we argue that rigorous randomized controlled trials comparing veterans who receive service dogs with those who do not are due. Such trials should account for self-selection bias and some veterans' overly optimistic expectations for service dogs, both of which have not previously been controlled for in non-randomized studies to date and may present a challenge to trial validity. We also argue that future research needs an adequate long-term follow-up evaluation period and should investigate the specific mechanisms of action at work (i.e. how do service dogs improve PTSD symptoms and quality of life).
conclusionsAdditional trials are needed to establish the efficacy of service dogs for veterans with PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Indexed as
Identifiers
30570307What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.