Characterizing stress during animal interaction: a focus on the human endocrine response during equine-assisted services.

This research provides an overview of how equine-assisted services (EAS) – the use of horses in therapeutic programs – could potentially cause physical and psychosocial stress in riders, highlighting the mixed results found in various studies on the subject. It advocates for more multidisciplinary and controlled research to understand how various hormonal markers of stress are affected during EAS.

The Context of Neuroendocrine Markers of Stress

• Neuroendocrine markers are hormones and other substances that the body releases under stress. These include immunoglobulin A, serotonin, cortisol, progesterone, and oxytocin.
• The study reviews existing research on how these markers are affected in riders involved in equine-assisted services. This allows researchers to understand the physiological stress that riders may experience during these sessions.

Results on the Effects of Hormones on Rider Physiology

• The review found mixed results regarding the impacts of these hormonal markers; some studies showed varied effects on riders’ bodies during the different phases of EAS (before, during, and after).
• However, certain results suggested that equine-assisted services could potentially lower stress levels in riders.

A Call for Future Research

• The authors of the paper call for more robust research in this field. They believe future studies should use a cross-disciplinary approach that considers both treatment fidelity (ensuring the therapy is applied accurately and consistently) and a range of factors that could affect rider physiology.
• For instance, it is advised to consider both exogenous (external) factors like environmental or seasonal changes, and endogenous (internal) factors such as the rider’s genetic disposition, which could influence how they react to stress during EAS.

Implications of the Review

• This review potentially lays the groundwork for future therapeutic practices, with the goal of maximizing the benefits and minimizing any stresses from EAS.