Impact of Dog Adoption and Training in Veterans With Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms and/or Other Mental Health Conditions (VCRM)

Florida Atlantic University

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Mental Health Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Treatments

Other: Dog training

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT07542431

IRB2310227

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this single-arm study is to learn if a dog adoption and training program can treat, prevent in [describe participant population/primary condition; could include any of the following: sex/gender, age groups, healthy volunteers]. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the dog adoption and training program decrease posttraumatic stress symptoms in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?
Does the dog adoption and training program decrease stress and improve psychosocial health in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?
Does the dog adoption and training program decrease inflammation, increase oxytocin, and change the structure and resting-state function of specific brain regions in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?

Participants will:

Attend eight one-hour professional dog training sessions within a 10-week period.
Visit the clinical research unit four times during the study for data collection.

Enrollment

120 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Military veteran with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms and/or other mental health conditions
Over 18 years of age
Applied and approved to adopt a shelter dog for training through the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
English speaker (written and spoken)
Home internet access via tablet, computer or smartphone.

Exclusion criteria