- Structured shelter dog programme elicited emotional reawakening, renewing emotional expression and positive affect among long-stay psychiatric rehabilitation patients.
- Dogs functioned as relational bridges, facilitating interpersonal communication, therapeutic engagement and connections between patients and healthcare staff.
- The intervention fostered shared humanity and relational care, increasing relational awareness, professional reflection and a more person-centred, humanised model of psychiatric rehabilitation.
Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2026 Oct;64:152238. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152238. Epub 2026 Sep 14.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Long-stay psychiatric rehabilitation units often struggle to provide emotionally meaningful and person-centred care because of institutional routines and limited opportunities for therapeutic engagement. Innovative relational interventions may help promote emotional connection and support more humanized models of psychiatric rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the emotional and relational processes observed during a structured shelter dog programme in a long-stay psychiatric rehabilitation setting and to examine how these processes were perceived to contribute to the humanization of care.
METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using participant observation across eight intervention sessions, one focus group with healthcare professionals, and one semi-structured interview with the dog handler. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis framework.
RESULTS: Three themes emerged: (1) Emotional reawakening, describing renewed emotional expression and positive affect; (2) The dog as a relational bridge, illustrating how the dogs facilitated interpersonal communication and therapeutic engagement; and (3) Shared humanity and relational care, reflecting enhanced relational awareness, professional reflection, and a more person-centred experience of care.
CONCLUSIONS: Participants perceived the shelter dog programme as a meaningful relational intervention that promoted emotional engagement, interpersonal connection, and more humanized psychiatric care. These findings suggest that structured relational interventions involving carefully selected shelter dogs may complement recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation. Further research should explore patient perspectives, longer-term outcomes, and implementation across different mental health settings.
PMID:42863932 | DOI:10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152238
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