N/A N=19 Supportive Care

Wildlife and Wellbeing: An Animal-Assisted Intervention for Veterans With PTSD

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Bottom Line

View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04116489 ↗

Enrolled (actual)

Serious AEs

0.0%

Results posted

Oct 2024

Primary outcome: Primary: Incidence of Recruitment of Study Participants — 19 participants

Study Design & Population

Study type: Interventional
Phase: N/A
Interventions: Forest walk (Other); Wildlife rehabilitation (Other); Wildlife sanctuary observation (Other); Bird feeding and watching (Other)
Age: Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
Sex: All
Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Worcester
Primary completion: Dec 2022

Outcome Measures

Outcome	Result	p-value
PRIMARY Incidence of Recruitment of Study Participants	19	—
PRIMARY Change in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms	-6.56	.5272
PRIMARY Change in Perception of Well Being	3.17	.1657
PRIMARY Change in Depression	-1.84	.2437
PRIMARY Change in Level of Anxiety	-7.72	.0373 sig
PRIMARY Retention of Participants	14	—

Summary

This study investigates a novel approach to animal-assisted interventions through a series of wildlife immersion activities (wildlife observation, wildlife rehabilitation and bird feeding/watching) for veterans who have suffered trauma as part of their military duty. Findings from this study will advance scientific knowledge about the benefits of wildlife activities for veterans with PTSD including the acceptability, feasibility, safety and preliminary influence on physical and mental well-being. The findings will be instrumental in advancing a new area of health intervention research for veterans in settings that are publicly accessible and family-oriented for sustainable, low-cost interventions with potential application in other populations.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Veterans with PTSD/PTSD symptoms (per self report)
Fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which is defined by the CDC as:
2 weeks after second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine
Age 18-70
Comfortable interacting with animals
Sufficient mobility to walk or navigate wheelchair up to one mile at leisurely pace
Cognitive ability to complete assessments
Service/ support animals are permitted as long as they meet the following criteria: the animal must be leashed, housebroken and with sufficient training that the owner has control over its barking and any other behaviors that would threaten the safety of other visitors or animals.
Participants with visual or hearing impairments must have corrected vision and hearing through glasses and/ or hearing aid(s).
No active addiction or intoxication as determined by 30 days or more free from drugs or alcohol abuse
Willing to refrain from alcohol and illicit substances before and during activities
No severe immunosuppression or other conditions with advisement by health care provider to limit or prevent contact with animals and birds
No severe outdoor allergy.
Not currently enrolled in the Veteran's Treatment Court program

Exclusion Criteria

Veterans without PTSD/PTSD symptoms (per self report
Not fully vaccinated against Covid-19
Age 70
Not comfortable interacting with animals
Not sufficiently mobile to walk or navigate wheelchair up to one mile at leisurely pace
Cognitively unable to complete assessments
Service/ support animals that do not meet the following criteria: leashed, housebroken and with sufficient training that the owner has control over its barking and any other behaviors that would threaten the safety of other visitors or animals.
Participants with visual or hearing impairments who do not have corrected vision and hearing through glasses and/ or hearing aid(s).
Active addiction or intoxication as determined by < 30 days free from drugs or alcohol abuse
Not willing to refrain from alcohol and illicit substances before and during activities
Severe immunosuppression or other conditions with advisement by health care provider to limit or prevent contact with animals and birds
Severe outdoor allergy
Currently enrolled in the Veteran's Treatment Court program

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04116489). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.