Animal-Assisted Intervention and military veterans’ psychological health: A systematic review of the literature.
Author: Dr. Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia
Year: 2022
Full Citation:
Introduction: Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) have been increasingly used in the workplace to mitigate the effectof work-related stress and improve psychological well-being among employees. Military workers returning home fromcombat and veterans face a high burden of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). This systematic review aimed toinvestigate the potential benefits of AAIs on military workers and veterans affected by PTSD. Methods: A systematicreview was conducted across Scopus, PubMed Central/Medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar in December 2021and June 2022 using predefined search criteria. All types of studies published in the English language were includedexcept editorials, commentaries, and narrative reviews. Studied published from January 2001 to December 2021 wereincluded. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020reporting guidelines for this systematic review. The assessment of study quality was carried out with a 16-item QualityAssessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs (QATSDD) Results: Overall, 25 studies were finally included in thissystematic review. Most of the AAIs were canine-assisted programs (n=12) and therapeutic horseback riding or equine-assisted psychotherapy (n=11). There was only one intervention study utilizing a pinnipeds-based program (n=1), whileone study was based on several types of animals (n=1). Out of 25 studies focusing on the effects of AAIs on PTSD in themilitary (n=3) and veterans (n=21), the majority of them (n=18) observed significantly lower PTSD symptomatologyfollowing AAIs. Three studies observed no statistically significant difference in PTSD symptomatology. Discussion: Ourfindings indicated that implementing AAI programs among military workers and veterans may improve theirpsychological well-being and reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms. Policymakers and occupational health servicesshould consider adopting AAIs during military service and after military discharge to support the mental health ofmilitary workers.
Keywords:
animal-assisted Interventions, military veterans, pets, occupational health, workplace, psychological health, systematic review, literature