Therapy Dogs and Grief Support in Jail

An Evaluation of Animal-Assisted Groups

Bibliographic Data

ID21632976
AuthorsYvonne Eaton-Stull (0000-0003-2280-9284, Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA, corresponding author), Sarah Kuehn (0000-0001-9766-9488, Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA), Catherine J Massey (0000-0002-4588-794X, Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA), Tami Micsky (0000-0002-9077-2711, Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA), Mauricio Yabar (0000-0002-3706-8223, Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA), Neva Lilla (Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA), Benjamin Porter (Department of Psychology, Social Work & Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University of PA)
Year2026
Publication date2026-06-29
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueResearch on Social Work Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-7315 • E-ISSN: 1552-7581
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10497315261463210
OpenAlexW7166505807
LanguageEN
References cited27

Purpose This study examined whether structured grief groups delivered with therapy dogs produced greater improvements in bereavement, prolonged grief, and resilience than the same groups delivered without therapy dogs. Method Using a quasi-experimental pre-post design, four 6-week groups were implemented in a county jail (n = 31), including two therapy dog-assisted groups (n = 20) and two non-animal-assisted groups (n = 11). Results Within-group analyses indicated significant reductions in bereavement symptoms in the therapy dog-assisted groups, whereas non-animal-assisted groups did not show statistically significant within-group change. However, between-group change-score analyses did not show statistically significant differences between conditions. Secondary combined analyses indicated significant overall decreases in bereavement and prolonged grief symptoms across participants. Resilience scores did not significantly change. Discussion Findings suggest grief support groups may benefit incarcerated individuals experiencing bereavement, with therapy dogs potentially enhancing emotional support and engagement

Complicated grief · Disenfranchised grief · Grief · Group psychotherapy · Psychological resilience · Social support · Traumatic grief · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Human-Animal Interaction Studies

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