Dissertation Prospectus: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Since man’s early evolution, he has been at risk of being exposed to trauma. Events such as the terrorist attacks in the mid-twentieth century to date have greatly impacted individuals who suffer from PTSD. Before an in-depth exploratory study on how evidential, approved, research-based and peer-reviewed, scholarly research studies on Animal Therapy have impacted PTSD patients, constructively or otherwise; it is important to consider what the condition, commonly and medically referred to as PTSD means in general terms. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental disorder arising from traumatic, tragically or horrendous experiences. These experiences affecting the person can exist in a physical/ psychological/ emotional/ physiological genre. PTSD forces affect a person by giving them new fears, trepidations, paranoid conduct and even gross unstable conditions. Some of the experiences known to lead to PTSD include kidnappings, killings, physical and mental assaults, automobile accidents, air crashes, natural or human-made disasters or so on. 

Indeed, lives of PTSD patients can permanently or temporarily undergo alteration depending on the kind of therapy they undertake. The outcomes of most therapies are to ensure that the individual recovers back to their initial psychological and emotional state before the traumatic incident. In addition, the therapy will see that remedial measures are offered to the individual so as to allow for a restoration of their mental equilibrium and normal state of the psyche and healed physical conditions. It is made possible through holistic treatment measures directed towards treating and help to cure of all affected aspects of the sufferer or the patient's' mental, physical/ psychological/ emotional/ and physiological aspects. 

The research gaps that need to contemplate this well–structured and evidential paper lies in the fact that the current crop of research does address common or medically-based treatment options, while the deployment of Animal Therapy recognized and medically endorsed technique for PTSD is still gaining currency. It’s high time much effort becomes focused on the individuals suffering from PTSD to enable for adequate solutions that will help to curb the rising number of PTSD cases. 

Background of the Problem 

Wild and domesticated animals hold a close, enduring and mutually abiding relationship with humans since the dawn of civilization. The questions of how equines, dogs, and other friends could help resolve problems arising from PTSD have amazed a lot of people. The mentally disabled war veterans, suffering from the horrors of active combat, or even civilians enduring such worse conditions needs to be a key focus for more intense, evidential and well- meaning research studies. The degree of success that these encounters offer and how best PTSD challenges and issues could be ameliorated and mitigated over time. There are also significant barriers and roadblocks in the practical use of AAI in subject PTSD patients. It immensely impacts the degree of caregiving and needs for what counter strategies are required present to counteract these issues, in bids to offer best secondary treatment options to large cohorts of PTSD patients in remission or otherwise. 

Theoretical Framework 

Some of the major theories to be used in this study are linked to Cognitive Theory, Attachment Theory, Biophilic hypothesis (human desire to seek nexus with nature and sentient life) and so on. A total of at least three approaches would be utilized in this paper to fit the research questions. 

Literature Review 

Some of the Themes for Literature review would be regarding offering the critique research of Journal Article studies which both propagate and delimit the use of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) in these domains. Additionally, the concrete and individual benefits of AAI when offered to PTSD patients is that it can be used as a standalone method or combined with other medications, counseling and treatment procedures. 

The study also seeks to offer some published Reports on the topic, including the Walter Reed Medical Center Studies, NCBI, American Psychiatric Association Journal Articles and 15-20 individual papers related to the topic. How this article fills gaps in the current crop of literature and adds substantively to existing body of research needs to be fully argued and espoused. 

Problem Statement 

AAI cannot be used as standalone, therapeutic mode for PTSD and needs to be integrated with other treatment methods. This is particularly for the long-term care of PTSD-suffering patients. The use AAI as a single entity will create a barrier for optimal treatment of the patient to sustainable levels. The incorporation of other surrounding factors will impact positively to PTSD-affected persons in their recovery pathway. 

Research Questions 

a. What are the clinical sources or underlying causes for patient concerns in PTSD? 

b. How best could Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) assure therapeutic benefits to PTSD patients, especially long-suffering chronically ill PTSD patients? 

c. How quantifiable and assessable are outcomes of AAI in PTSD and how does the current crop of research evidence validate or invalidate claims about this? 

d. What safe and reliable prognosis does AAI offer to future generations of PTSD patients or even relapsed patients? 

Phenomena 

PTSD could well result from long drawn, extensive and exhaustive exposure to traumatic situations, especially soldiers weary after long, intense engagements in war- affected zones. However, PTSD also affects civilian population including children who have had to undergo trauma much beyond their coping capabilities and bearing capacities. While conventional healing techniques do help assuage and alleviate the sufferings associated with PTSD, Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) could indeed be viewed as welcoming, a soothing and therapeutic intervention which could work in tandem with other medical interventions. AAI could help and assist in recuperative/ rehabilitative best non-medical practices or alternative therapeutic options for diagnosed and unconfirmed PTSD patients. 

Significance of this paper 

The research's objective is to identify, investigate and uncover how AAI could best be applied in the controlling and healing mechanism designed to provide relief and rehabilitation measures to suffering PTSD patients. Besides that, it seeks to address the attendant barriers and trade-offs Animal Therapy poses. These are mainly the environmental, individualistic and mutually accommodative ones, and how these issues could best be addressed and resolved for egalitarian benefits. While humans and animals are known to be mutually compatible, drawing solace, company, and comforts from each other, its valuable advantages in the domains of calming and healing PTSD patients, especially long-term sufferers, from core arguments of this study. 

Rationality for Adopted Research Design and Methodology 

The paper will employ exploratory, phenomenological and deductive design based on methods of respondent-based personal interviews, open-ended questionnaire-sessions and Case Study Analysis of successful AAI interventions to argue about the beneficence of animal therapy in treating PTSD patients. 

In all fairness, the topic of how AAI could beneficially impact long-standing PTSD patients is indeed subjective and thus needs to be argued in line with its qualitative health enhancing and enduring context, especially since this may well be one of the several interventions in vogue to deal with PTSD issues over time. 

Purpose of the study 

The research study purports to conceptualize and argue about both the advantageous benefits of Animal Therapy or AAI as weighed against its drawbacks and constraints. The query of how and what extent AAI could be used as an independent, standalone and self-enduring therapy medium. How it can be properly integrated into first line treatment modes for PTSD needs to be argued at length, mainly focusing on what real benefits PTSD patients could gain. This is about the alleviation of debilitating health conditions, mental trauma, loneliness, long-standing sufferings and agonizing effects of co-morbid conditions surrounding their illnesses. 

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES 

Sources of Data 

For the review chapter, the data resources and data assets would be sourced from NCBI, APA, and Published Journal articles from prominent medical associations and so on. Newspaper articles, medical and healthcare books/journals sources and other indirect sources such as case study analysis will be profusely referred as functional studies. The nexus between Animal Assistance Interventions (AAI) on the one hand, and therapeutic benefits and good health-enhancing strategies on the other through greater emotional wellness, companionship, loneliness. Therapy, Anti- traumatic interventions through involvement, mediation and more significant interactions at physical, psychological, emotional and physiological levels of patients and how patient–animal association could well foster and sustain greater wellness for both beings, for the present, and for the future. 

The Methodology data sources would be qualitative, secondary and indirect sourcing relying on already published studies using interviews, questionnaires, case study analysis and others. 

Research Design 

The exploratory, phenomenological, deductive and based on gleaned data from several reliable, trusted peer-reviewed, scholarly sources of repute. Qualitative studies have been preferred since it is widely believed that this method could best address, argue and report on several critical issues and offer recommendations as deemed fit, necessary and of significant research bearing on the topic and its many ramifications. 

Research Methodology 

Qualitative studies have been preferred since it is widely believed that this method could best address, argue and report on several critical issues and offer recommendations as deemed fit, necessary and of significant research. In addition to these methods, exploratory and survey-based involving a set of pre-determined respondents in pre-determined research settings in these precincts will be used actually. 

Research Method 

Random selection of around 50-55 respondents drawn from animal care providing nursing populace from both genders, 25 years and above, and in a position to offer intelligent comments on how Animal Therapy could help or deter wellness, betterment and well-being of PTSD patients under their care. 

Analysis of Data

Likert Scale Method (Scale 1-5) would be first used to classify data. Later it would be subjected to further mathematical/ statistical tests to ensure greater data integrity, fidelity, amenable for further interpretations and need to prove qualitatively. As to whether, how and the extent to which AAI or Animal Therapy could help and assist in recuperative/ rehabilitative best medical practices/ alternative therapeutic option for diagnosed/ unconfirmed PTSD patients. 

Besides, this section will conversely identify significant barriers, challenges, and roadblocks to the use of AAI in subject PTSD patients, the degree to which this impacts on caregiving and what counter strategies need to be put in place to counteract these issues in bids to offer best secondary treatment options to large cohorts of PTSD patients in remission or otherwise. 

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 

In the designing of a new care plan for PTSD patients substantiating code of ethics need to be upheld. Proper communication with relevant governing bodies such as abiding by the present health rules in the trauma section. Additionally, the regulation of Animal Therapy occurrences to have an accurate recollection of an individual ability present health status. The adhering to ethical standards will prevent miscalculating information collected. 

Table 1 

Qualitative Studies 

Research Questions:  State the Research Questions	Hypotheses:  State the hypotheses to match each Research question	List of Variables/Groups to Collect Data For:  Independent and Dependent Variable(s)	Instrument(s)  To collect data for each variable	Analysis Plan  Data analysis approach to (1) describe data and (2) test the hypothesis
1. What are the clinical sources or underlying causes for patient concerns in PTSD?	Traumatic events such as road accidents, military combat, kidnappings and others contribute to PTSD	War Veterans and civilian population	Personal interviews, open-ended questionnaire-sessions	In describing the data, a Likert scale (1-5) will classify the data. The testing of the hypothesis will be made possible through  Statistical tests to ensure greater data integrity, fidelity, amenable for further interpretations and need to prove qualitatively. The results from the tests will provide the researcher with a foundation upon which they will use to decide whether the hypothesizes are true or not.
2. How best could Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) assure therapeutic benefits to PTSD patients, especially long-suffering chronically ill PTSD patients?	AAI cannot be used as standalone, therapeutic mode for PTSD and needs to be integrated with other treatment methods for successful results.	Trauma-related participants are participating in AAI Vs. Non-trauma related participants not participating in AAI	Personal interviews, open-ended questionnaire-sessions
3. How quantifiable and assessable are outcomes of AAI in PTSD and how does the current crop of research evidence validate or invalidate claims about this?	There are significant barriers and roadblocks in the practical use of AAI in subject PTSD patients.	War veterans with PTSD participated in AAI vs. War veterans with PTSD not participating in AAI	Case Study Analysis
4. What safe and reliable prognosis does AAI offer to future generations of PTSD patients or even relapsed patients?	Patient–animal association could well foster and sustain greater wellness for both beings for present and future.	War veterans with PTSD participated in AAI vs. War veterans with PTSD not participating in AAI	Case Study Analysis