Gravrok Jennifer, Bendrups Dan, Howell Tiffani, Bennett Pauleen
Anthrozoology Research Group, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Edwards Rd, Flora Hill, VIC 3552, Australia.
Research Education and Development Team, Graduate Research School, La Trobe University, Edwards Rd, Flora Hill, VIC 3552, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2019 Apr 29;9(5):203. doi: 10.3390/ani9050203.
The purpose of this study was to explore first time handlers' experiences when working with an assistance dog (AD). Interviewees included seven first time AD handlers and 14 other individuals close to these handlers, including family members, carers and AD instructors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted six months and one year after each handler received their AD. Interview questions were informed by the Thriving Through Relationships theory of social support and previous interviews with the participants. Inductive content analysis corroborated previous findings regarding the benefits that ADs provide. In addition, four factors were revealed to substantially influence the challenges handlers experienced when learning to utilize their dog. These included the handlers' medical conditions, cognitive ability and social environment, and dog-related factors. Organizations would benefit from considering these factors in their operational processes.
本研究的目的是探讨初次与辅助犬合作的人员的经历。受访者包括7名初次与辅助犬合作的人员以及14名与这些人员关系密切的其他人，包括家庭成员、护理人员和辅助犬训练师。在每位与辅助犬合作的人员收到辅助犬后的6个月和1年进行了半结构化访谈。访谈问题基于社会支持的“通过关系茁壮成长”理论以及之前对参与者的访谈。归纳性内容分析证实了之前关于辅助犬所带来益处的研究结果。此外，还发现了四个因素对与辅助犬合作的人员在学习使用其犬只时所经历的挑战有重大影响。这些因素包括与辅助犬合作的人员的健康状况、认知能力和社会环境以及与犬只相关的因素。各组织在其运营过程中考虑这些因素将有所裨益。
