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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / An evaluation of the effect of equine-facilitated psychother...
PloS one2023; 18(6); e0286867; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286867

An evaluation of the effect of equine-facilitated psychotherapy on patients with substance use disorders.

Abstract: Equine Facilitated Psychiatry and Psychology (EFPP) is a supportive non-pharmacological treatment program used in the treatment of patients with substance use disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible change in patient's health and health-related quality of life between the first and fourth session of the EFPP program using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). The Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS) and a 5-point Likert-type scale was used for an assessment of patient's mood in the experimental group. The study sample included 57 patients (39 in experimental group with EFPP and 18 without EFPP program) with substance use disorders hospitalized in the psychiatric hospital. Comparing the initial and final patients scores in the experimental group, there was a significant positive shift in three of the four domains of the HoNOS scale and in seven of the eight dimensions of the AQoL scale. HAIS significantly increased (p <0.001) in time as well as patient´s mood after every session and in long time perspective. Based on these results, we can assume that the EFPP might be one of the successful programs which may improve patient´s mood and social interactions in substance use disorders.
Copyright: © 2023 Machová et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-06-28 PubMed ID: 37379304PubMed Central: PMC10306210DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286867Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates the potential benefits of Equine Facilitated Psychiatry and Psychology (EFPP), a non-drug related treatment program, on the health and quality of life of patients dealing with substance use disorders. It has found that this method may significantly improve patient mood and social interactions.

Study Background

  • The study revolves around Equine Facilitated Psychiatry and Psychology (EFPP). EFPP is a therapy technique in which patients interact with horses in a therapeutic setting. The researchers wanted to understand whether this type of therapy could affect changes in a patient’s wellness, mood, and quality of life.
  • The researchers also aimed to check if this improvement would be noted after the first four sessions of EFPP.
  • The metrics used to measure changes in patient health and quality of life were the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). The researchers applied the Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS) to assess the interaction between patients and the horses.

Study Methodology

  • The sample consisted of 57 patients, all diagnosed with substance use disorders and were hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.
  • They divided the patients into two groups: 39 patients who participated in the EFPP program (experimental group) and 18 who did not (control group).
  • Interaction assessment and mood scales were used for the experimental group. A Likert scale was used to measure the patient’s mood in the experimental group.

Results

  • The results showed a significant positive shift in the scores of the experimental group. Three out of four domains of the HoNOS scale showed a significant improvement, and in the AQoL scale, seven out of eight dimensions showed an improvement.
  • The HAIS scores also increased significantly over time, suggesting that the human-animal interaction improved.
  • The study showed that the mood of patients also improved after each session, implying that sessions had immediate as well as long-lasting positive effects.

Conclusion

  • Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that EFPP could potentially be a successful treatment program for patients with substance use disorders. They suggest that it might improve patient mood and promote healthy social interactions.

Cite This Article

APA
Machová K, Juríčková V, Kasparová A, Petrová K, Sládková B, Svobodová I. (2023). An evaluation of the effect of equine-facilitated psychotherapy on patients with substance use disorders. PLoS One, 18(6), e0286867. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286867

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 6
Pages: e0286867
PII: e0286867

Researcher Affiliations

Machová, Kristýna
  • Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
Juríčková, Veronika
  • Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.
  • First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Kasparová, Anna
  • Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
Petrová, Kamila
  • Center of Equine Assisted Therapy of Psychiatric Hospital Kosmonosy, Psychiatric Hospital Kosmonosy, Kosmonosy, Czech Republic.
Sládková, Barbora
  • Center of Equine Assisted Therapy of Psychiatric Hospital Kosmonosy, Psychiatric Hospital Kosmonosy, Kosmonosy, Czech Republic.
Svobodová, Ivona
  • Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Mental Disorders / psychology
  • Quality of Life
  • Psychotherapy
  • Substance-Related Disorders / therapy
  • Patients

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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