Helping our frontline heroes: New study releases ways to stop dog days

Helping our frontline workers through psychiatric assistance dogs

Emergency services personnel are Australia’s first line of defense in times of crisis – but who do they turn to in times of need?

University of Southern Queensland researchers are investigating how psychiatric assistance dogs (PADs) can aid post-traumatic growth and recovery, with a focus on members of the Police, Fire and Rescue, Ambulance and State Emergency Services.

Project leader Karina Heyworth, a psychology PhD candidate, has launched a new study that aims to measure how PAD can help reduce and manage post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“PTSD is highly prevalent in Australian first responders and defense personnel, often resulting in dire consequences such as social isolation, poor relationships, depression and the inability to work and perform daily tasks,” Heyworth said.

“Current treatment methods focus on trauma-focused psychological interventions, but the vast majority of people do not respond to these first-line treatments.

“Thus, there is an urgent demand for new, evidence-based approaches to addressing symptoms and challenges that work for first responders.”

Ms Heyworth, who came to the University after a 20-year career in the animal health industry, said PAD is an alternative intervention that has received widespread attention.

“Based on my initial research review, we can see how psychiatric assistance dogs/PADs play a multi-facilitative role to support the everyday defense veteran PTSD challenges and nurture recovery progress,” he said.

“PAD fosters confidence, a sense of normalcy and a sense of worth and purpose which in turn helps them regain the part of their life that they previously gave up because of their injury.

“From a personal point of view, I witnessed firsthand when handlers brought their PAD for veterinary care during my time in the animal health industry – some would share stories about how their four-legged companion helped them manage and cope with their injuries.

“The core focus of this new University of Southern Queensland survey will be looking to measure these intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of PAD as a treatment intervention.”

Ms Heyworth said barriers to widespread use include public scrutiny and lack of public education about the role of PAD, as well as high costs and long waiting times to receive trained PAD.

“Our research is looking to investigate some of these challenges, not only to have a better understanding of how they affect the progress of recovery but also to identify some potential solutions,” he said.

“For example, we’ve seen that some people try to avoid long waiting times by training a dog themselves to become an accredited PAD. Our survey will investigate the benefits and challenges of this alternative approach.

“We hope that our study determines whether PAD is a plausible novel-based intervention to support our first responders and inform health care policy, planning development, and guidance for best practice models.”

A 2018 national survey of 21,000 first responders found 10 percent of service personnel are likely to have PTSD, with that number jumping to 29 percent for those who have left the profession.

“These figures are in stark contrast to the estimated 4.4 per cent among the general Australian adult population diagnosed with PTSD (12-month prevalence),” he said.

Learn more about this study.

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