Grant: POR Awards - Transition to Leadership Stream - Phase 2

This proposal is an extension of prior CIHR-funded research my patient partners and I conducted on spousal and family involvement in service dog training programs, publicly enacted stigma towards people with disabilities (e.g., veterans with PTSD and comorbid SUD) paired with service dogs, public knowledge of service dogs and their handlers, and veteran and civilian experiences with navigating the Canadian service dog industry. Three studies will be conducted that answer the broad research question: How can we improve the lives of Canadian veterans with PTSD and comorbid substance use who are working with service dogs? For Study 1 a course and protocol will be developed and tested to aid Canadian service dog organizations in involving families in all aspects of service dog acquisition, assessment, training, certification, and retirement, including determining the needs of family and significant others and protocol for service dog organizations to assess the family context will be developed and tested. For Study 2 educational interventions/informational products will be developed and tested to educate various Canadian demographic groups (e.g., youth, elderly, etc.) about service dogs and their handlers. For Study 3 educational interventions/informational products will be developed and tested to aid handlers in improving the bond with their service dogs. The Bowen Family Systems Theory, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Human-animal bond, zooeyia, and Five Domains of animal welfare will inform this research. Methods employed will include online questionnaires, follow-up interviews, and focus groups to develop the interventions/informational products, and experimental designs to test the developed products. Findings have the potential to improve Canadian service dog training programs, inform Canadian policy regarding service dogs, inform animal welfare improvement initiatives, and improve the lives of veterans, and their families and service dogs.