New research investigates the impact of a dog-assisted intervention on social engagement in people with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which causes seizures, triggered by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. There are different types of seizures depending on where the activity begins, and they affect how a person moves, feels or whether they remain conscious. The treatment for epilepsy typically includes medication which aims to prevent seizures, but not all types are responsive.

For many people with epilepsy, especially those with drug-resistant forms, the unpredictability of their seizures can be very isolating. The fear of having a seizure in public, coupled with stigma and lack of understanding from others, can limit their participation in social activities and reduce their quality of life. For this reason, a recent study investigated whether a dog-assisted intervention could enhance social interactions amongst people with epilepsy.

New dog-assisted intervention

The study included ten adult participants (5 women & 5 men), with severe, drug-resistant epilepsy. Participants took part in weekly sessions with a therapy dog for a period of 10 weeks. Each session lasted 60 minutes, and included three or four participants who engaged in structured and unstructured activities with a dog, such as grooming or watching the dog, and chatting with other people in the session.

All sessions were recorded using multiple cameras, and the resulting videos were analysed for behaviours such as eye gaze direction, touch and vocalisations. Participants were also required to complete a number of questionnaires before and after the session, which measured their quality of life and epilepsy-related anxiety.

A catalyst for connection

The findings of the study revealed that 47% of participants’ eye gaze was directed towards the therapy dog. On average, participants made physical contact with the dog 26 times per hour, and 67% of these interactions were initiated by the participants. Also, these behaviours were maintained across all ten sessions, suggesting that it wasn’t just the novelty of the dog’s presence at the beginning.

The amount of eye gaze and physical touch that participants directed towards each other significantly increased across the number of sessions. At the same time, the number of self-directed behaviours, such as fidgeting or looking away, declined over the sessions, indicating that participants grew in confidence. However, no changes in self-reported quality of life were observed.

A different type of support

Overall, the study’s findings suggest that dog-assisted interventions may be an effective tool for reducing social withdrawal and increasing confidence in people with drug-resistant epilepsy. Dogs, with their warm and accepting presence, created an environment with encouraged participants to first interact with the dog, and then fellow participants. The ability of dogs to facilitate social connections between people is well-documented, but this is the first time that it has been demonstrated in people with epilepsy, further expanding the use of dog-assisted interventions.

Key study findings:

• Participants frequently engaged with the dogs, through eye gaze and physical contact
• Most interactions with dogs were initiated by participants
• Engagement with other participants increased across the sessions
• Self-directed behaviours decreased over the course of the intervention