Dogs support police officers with PTSD

Thousands of police officers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of traumatic incidents in the course of their work. Dogs (both assistance dogs and companion dogs) can offer relief to police officers with PTSD. That is the finding of doctoral research by neurobiologist Charlotte Witjes-Roelofs, who will defend her thesis at Radboud University on Oct. 1, 2026. "Police officers feel safer with their dog nearby; they are better able to perform memory tasks and concentrate more effectively." The study is published in the journal Anthrozoös.

Read it at Medical Xpress ↗

← Front page