Do Psychiatric Service Dogs Improve Sleep for the Partners of Veterans with PTSD?

When we think of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), we often focus on the individuals directly affected—such as veterans who may experience intense nightmares, anxiety, or poor sleep. But what about their partners? A recent study aimed to explore how psychiatric service dogs, known to provide emotional and functional support to veterans, impact the sleep patterns of their partners.

The Study Setup

Researchers conducted a study involving 88 partners of veterans with PTSD. The study ran over three months, comparing spouses of veterans paired with service dogs to spouses of veterans on the waitlist for service dogs. Both subjective (surveys) and objective (actigraphy) sleep data was collected.

Key Findings

The results showed no significant differences in sleep quality or disturbances between those with service dogs and those without. Both subjective measures (surveys like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and objective data (actigraphy results) suggested that the presence of service dogs neither disrupted nor improved partners' sleep. Their sleep remained similar to national averages throughout the study.

Why Didn’t the Dogs Help?

Several explanations might account for this surprising outcome:

1. Veteran-Focused Training: Psychiatric service dogs are specifically trained to assist the veteran, which could mean their benefits don’t extend significantly to their partners.
2. Already Normal Sleep: The partners in the study generally had sleep patterns close to typical population norms, which left little room for noticeable improvement.
3. Psychosocial Influences: Emotional and caregiving factors could affect sleep in complex ways that the study’s methods might not have fully captured.

A Broader Perspective

While the findings were not statistically significant, they contribute an important piece to the puzzle of how psychiatric service dogs impact veteran families. While these dogs might not alter sleep for partners, their role in supporting veterans’ mental health and overall family dynamics remains invaluable.