Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 30:16:1574445.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1574445. eCollection 2025.

An exploratory investigation of psychosocial effects of service dogs on veterans' families from the perspective of family members

Affiliations

An exploratory investigation of psychosocial effects of service dogs on veterans' families from the perspective of family members

Linzi Williamson et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Research on the psychosocial effects of service dogs (SDogs) on veterans' family members is relatively limited and often centers veterans' perspectives rather than those of the family. This exploratory study aimed to examine how Canadian veterans' family members perceive veterans' SDog and how they affect different psychosocial outcomes, specifically family quality of life and caregiving. A mixed-methods design utilizing an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews was employed. A non-probability sample of veterans' family members (i.e., spouses, parents, siblings, friends) were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling methods. Participants (N = 35) completed an online questionnaire containing scales measuring their perceptions of and bond with the SDogs, their experience of caregiving, and overall family quality of life. Interviews with veterans' spouses (N = 7) expanded on these topics. We analyzed quantitative data with descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data with content analysis. Overall, family members had positive perceptions of and felt bonded to the SDogs. Caregiver scores were relatively high suggesting risk of burnout. Interviewed participants reported no change in their caregiving duties, but they worried less about the veterans because of the SDog. Family quality of life scores were relatively high and SDogs were generally well-integrated into the family, but families seemed to need some support concerning their own emotional well-being. Findings from this study highlight some of the psycho-social benefits of SDogs for veterans' families from their perspectives. Optimizing these benefits may require awareness of and managing drawbacks related to SDogs, acknowledging limits of the SDog role, and that SDogs' role can overlap with that of family pets.

Keywords: caregiving; family; human-animal bond; service dogs; veterans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Similar articles

References

    1. Anderson D. C. (2007). Assessing the human-animal bond: A compendium of actual measures. 1st Edn. West Laf ayette, IN, USA: Purdue University Press, 96–103.
    1. Audrestch H. M., Whelan C. T., Grice D., Asher L., England G. C. W., Freeman S. L. (2015). Recognizing the value of assistance dogs in society. Disabil. Health J. 8, 469–474. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2015.07.001, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aycheh M. W., van’t Noordende A. T., Moges N. A., Schippers A. P. (2023). The cross-cultural validation of the beach center family quality of life scale among persons affected by leprosy or podoconiosis in Northwest Ethiopia. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 17:e0011235. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011235, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bibbo J., Proulx C. M. (2019). The impact of a care recipient’s pet on caregiving burden, satisfaction, and mastery: a pilot investigation. Hum. Anim. Interact. Bull. 7, 81–102. doi: 10.1079/hai.2019.0010 - DOI
    1. Bibbo J., Rodriguez K. E., O’Haire M. E. (2019). Impact of service dogs on family members’ psychosocial functioning. Am. J. Occup. Ther. 73, 1–11. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2019.031690 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources