ABSTRACT Individuals with visual impairments often report low quality of life (QOL), increased depression, and reduced functionality. Trained assistance dogs have been shown to help improve QOL and daily functioning of individuals affected by chronic conditions, but these studies have been largely crosssectional and QOL has not been considered in guide dog owners. A longitudinal cohort study was undertaken using the Flanagan Quality of Life Scale to compare individuals on the UK guide dog national waiting list and established guide dog owners at two time points. Data collected from both time points were compared between three groups: those who remained on the waiting list throughout the study (n = 17), those who acquired a guide dog during the study (n = 15), and established guide dog owners (n = 14). Analysis comparing the effect of “group” was conducted on individual questionnaire items as well as total quality of life scores. Individuals who acquired a guide dog during the study showed a significant increase in perceptions of independence in comparison with those who remained on the waiting list. In general, those in the established guide dog group and those who acquired a guide dog demonstrated increased perceived QOL over time, but those who remained on the waiting list showed a decrease. Owing to the small sample sizes we computed effect sizes to inform the development of future studies. Effect sizes were highest on items relating to health, material comforts, independence, and total QOL. Comparison with previous research looking at QOL with hearing dog and physical assistance dog partners showed that guide dog ownership may be specifically associated with perceived gains in terms of material comforts and inter-personal relationships.

中文翻译：

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导盲犬对主人生活质量的影响：一项纵向研究

摘要 有视力障碍的个体经常报告生活质量 (QOL) 低、抑郁增加和功能下降。训练有素的辅助犬已被证明有助于改善受慢性病影响的个体的 QOL 和日常功能，但这些研究主要是横断面的，导盲犬主人没有考虑 QOL。使用弗拉纳根生活质量量表进行了一项纵向队列研究，以比较英国导盲犬全国候补名单上的个人和两个时间点的既定导盲犬主人。从两个时间点收集的数据在三组之间进行了比较：在整个研究过程中一直在等待名单上的人（n = 17），在研究期间获得导盲犬的人（n = 15）和已建立的导盲犬主人（n = 14）。对“组”的影响进行了比较分析，研究人员对单个问卷项目以及总生活质量得分进行了分析。与留在等候名单上的人相比，在研究期间获得导盲犬的人对独立性的看法显着增加。一般而言，已建立的导盲犬组中的人和获得导盲犬的人随着时间的推移表现出感知 QOL 的增加，但留在等候名单上的人则表现出下降。由于样本量小，我们计算了效应量以告知未来研究的发展。与健康、物质舒适度、独立性和总 QOL 相关的项目的影响大小最高。