The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Institute Queensland, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Australia.
The School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
J Altern Complement Med. 2021 Aug;27(8):678-687. doi: 10.1089/acm.2020.0500. Epub 2021 May 4.
Equine-assisted therapy may promote positive behavior change in young people "at risk." However, it is not always clear what therapeutic content is involved and if a trained therapist is included. The therapeutic effects of the key part of the "therapy," the horse, are not understood. To investigate the impact of an equine program without a therapist on attention and behavioral outcomes of young people "at risk." A within subjects pre-post design. A small sample also completed a control period. A small riding center in a rural area of outer Brisbane, Australia. Twelve- to 17-year olds ( = 50; 20 girls; mean age 13.88), attending nontraditional flexischool. A 5-week program of 2-h long sessions of equine activities that did not include a trained therapist or specific therapeutic content. Teacher-report measures of externalizing and internalizing behavior were reported before and after the program through the (BRIEF) and the (SDQ). A paired samples test resulted in the statistically significant reduction of the between pre and post participation in the equine program (mean difference = -5.89), (36) = -3.377, = 0.002 and the score (mean difference = -0.727), (43) = -2.244, = 0.030. Equine activities may reverse a trajectory of worsening problems. This may especially affect symptoms related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Equine programs may offer an alternative method to reduce poor behavior and improve attention in young people. Benefits in attention may occur even without specific therapeutic content or therapist involvement. It is proposed that some of these benefits come directly from the horse and the interactions with the horse; others are contextual.
马术辅助治疗可能会促进处于“高危”状态的年轻人的积极行为改变。然而，目前尚不清楚治疗内容是什么，也不清楚是否有经过培训的治疗师参与其中。对于治疗的关键部分——马的治疗效果，人们并不了解。本研究旨在调查在没有治疗师的情况下，马术项目对处于“高危”状态的年轻人的注意力和行为结果的影响。采用自身前后测设计，一小部分参与者还完成了对照期。澳大利亚布里斯班远郊一个农村地区的一个小型骑术中心。12 至 17 岁的青少年（ = 50；20 名女孩；平均年龄 13.88 岁），就读于非传统的灵活学校。为期 5 周的项目，每周进行 2 小时的马术活动，不包括经过培训的治疗师或特定的治疗内容。通过教师报告量表（BRIEF）和（SDQ），在项目前后报告外化和内化行为的情况。配对样本 t 检验结果显示，参与者参加马术项目前后的 （BRIEF）（平均差异 = -5.89），（36） = -3.377， = 0.002 和 （SDQ）（平均差异 = -0.727），（43） = -2.244， = 0.030 得分显著降低。马术活动可能会扭转问题恶化的轨迹。这可能特别影响与注意力缺陷多动障碍相关的症状。马术项目可能为减少年轻人的不良行为和改善注意力提供一种替代方法。即使没有特定的治疗内容或治疗师参与，注意力也可能得到改善。有人提出，这些好处中的一些直接来自于马和与马的互动，而另一些则是环境因素。
