Guide dog ownership and psychological well-being

[摘要] This study explored the dynamics of guide dog ownership from a psychological pointof view. The research was explorative in nature and employed two historicallydistinct methodologies of enquiry (both quantitative and qualitative). This explorativestudy relied on a very comprehensive literature review, which combined literaturefrom three distinct fields of research: disability research, psychofortology and thehuman-animal interaction. Based on this literature review, three research questionswere formulated. The first part of the study focused on the concept of well-being. Thefirst two research questions dealt with the question of whether differences existbetween the well-being of persons with blindness and guide dog ownership andpersons with blindness without guide dog ownership. These two questions wereanswered in a quantitative fashion by employing Ryff's Scales of Psychological wellbeing(1989) to two naturally occurring groups (n = 65). In general, no groupdifferences emerged, but the properties of the questionnaire and some confoundingmay have skewed the results. The final research question explored the livedexperience of anticipating and owning a guide dog in a qualitative fashion. Twointerviews were conducted with each of six participants (one interview before guidedog ownership and one after acquiring a guide dog). The qualitative methodologyyielded some very promising findings on the nature of guide dog ownership. Seventhemes emerged from the first interview and eight from the second. Guide dogownership seems to be a life-changing experience, with both negative and positiveconsequences for the owner and his/her psychological well-being. This studyconcludes with a strong argument for the complementary use of quantitative andqualitative methodologies. Recommendations are given for several service providers in and for the community of persons with disabilities, and suggestions are made forfuture research on a topic of this nature.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University