Therapy dogs ease loneliness among people hospitalized for mental illness, study reports

A small randomized pilot at Virginia Commonwealth University found that brief therapy dog visits were associated with larger reductions in loneliness among 60 patients hospitalized for acute mental illness compared with other groups, according to researchers reporting in Front in Psychiatry.

Therapy dog visits were associated with reduced feelings of loneliness among people hospitalized for acute mental illness, researchers reported. The pilot study was conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University and was published in Front in Psychiatry. Loneliness is linked to several health risks, and extended hospital stays can increase isolation. Researchers described this as an early study examining how dogs specifically affect loneliness in psychiatric inpatients. Key findings: - The study enrolled 60 patients at VCU Health who were randomly assigned to one of three groups. - Therapy dog visits or handler interactions occurred for 20 minutes a day across three days, and participants completed mental health and loneliness assessments before and after the visits. - Participants visited by therapy dogs showed the largest average reductions in loneliness, although loneliness decreased across all groups over time. - Lead researcher Nancy Gee said the presence of a therapy dog appeared to provide immediate improvement in loneliness beyond human interactions, and she noted the Dogs on Call program views the dogs as partners that also benefit from encounters. - The study authors said more research is needed to understand why therapy dogs reduce loneliness and to examine longer-term outcomes. Summary: These pilot results suggest therapy dog visits were linked with reduced loneliness among psychiatric inpatients, which is notable given the health risks associated with loneliness. The study was small and brief, so broader effects and underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified. Further research was recommended to explore how therapy dogs influence loneliness and recovery over longer periods.