The impact of service dogs on children, youth and their families: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Having a service dog can help to increase independence and well-being among people with a disability or a chronic health condition. Although there has been an increasing use of service dogs among children and youth their impact has not yet been synthesized.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review assessing the impact of service dogs on children, youth and their families.

Methods: Systematic searches of seven international databases from 1985 to 2020 led to 29 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. Using a narrative synthesis review approach we analyzed these studies regarding their sample characteristics, methods, results and quality of evidence.

Results: There were 29 studies in our review that included 1121 children and youth (or parents representing them) that spanned across six countries over a 32-year period. Although the outcomes of the impact of service dogs varied across the studies, 23/29 of them reported an improvement in at least one of the following: physical health (i.e., diabetes management, seizure management, mobility), psychological health (i.e., quality of life, safety, behavior, stress, anxiety, self-confidence and independence), social well-being (i.e., social interactions, school and work) and dog-owner-bond. Children, youth and their parents also described several challenges in owning a service dog.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight that service dogs have potential to provide many benefits for children, youth and their families. Further research, including more rigorously designed studies, is needed to fully understand their impact.

Keywords: Assistance dog; Pediatric; Review; Service dog; Youth.