Equine-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Military Veterans: An Open Trial.
Abstract: As veterans have high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and historically poor treatment outcomes and high attrition, alternative treatments have gained much popularity despite lack of rigorous research. In this study, a recently developed and manualized 8-session group Equine-Assisted Therapy for PTSD (EAT-PTSD) was tested in an open trial to assess its preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes for military veterans. The study was conducted from July 2016 to July 2019. Sixty-three treatment-seeking veterans with PTSD enrolled. PTSD diagnosis was ascertained using the Structured Clinical Interview for , Research Version (SCID-5-RV) and confirmed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5). Mean age was 50 years, and 23 patients (37%) were women. Clinician and self-report measures of PTSD and depression were assessed at pretreatment, midtreatment, and posttreatment and at a 3-month follow-up. An intent-to-treat analysis and a secondary analysis of those who completed all 4 clinical assessments were utilized. Only 5 patients (8%) withdrew from treatment, 4 before midtreatment and 1 afterward. Posttreatment assessment revealed marked reductions in both clinician-rated and self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms, which persisted at 3-month follow-up. Specifically, mean (SD) CAPS-5 scores fell from 38.6 (8.1) to 26.9 (12.4) at termination. Thirty-two patients (50.8%) showed clinically significant change (≥ 30% decrease in CAPS-5 score) at posttreatment and 34 (54.0%) at follow-up. Manualized EAT-PTSD shows promise as a potential new intervention for veterans with PTSD. It appears safe, feasible, and clinically viable. These preliminary results encourage examination of EAT-PTSD in larger, randomized controlled trials. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03068325.
© Copyright 2021 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
Publication Date: 2021-08-31 PubMed ID: 34464523DOI: 10.4088/JCP.21m14005Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Clinical Trial
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Summary
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This research article studies the effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT-PTSD) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among military veterans. The study found EAT-PTSD to be a promising, safe, and feasible treatment method that could potentially improve PTSD symptoms.
Overview
In this study, an 8-session group method of Equine-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (EAT-PTSD) was tested on military veterans who were seeking treatment for PTSD. The research was conducted between July 2016 to July 2019 amongst 63 veterans, with PTSD diagnoses confirmed through established clinical and assessment tools.
Methods
- The mean age of the participants was 50 years c and 37% of them (23 patients) were women.
- PTSD diagnosis was confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for, Research Version (SCID-5-RV) and further reaffirmed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5).
- The researchers then recorded clinician and self-reported measurements of PTSD and depression before, during, and after the treatment, with a follow-up at 3 months.
Results
- Only 8% of the patients (5 individuals) chose to withdraw from the treatment, indicating high compliance and acceptance rate for this therapy.
- Post-treatment results revealed significant reductions in both clinician-rated and self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms, which was found to have persisted even after 3 months of concluding the therapy. Specifically, the mean CAPS-5 scores dropped from 38.6 to 26.9 after the treatment ended.
- Approximately half of the participants exhibited clinically significant changes, demonstrated as at least 30% decrease in CAPS-5 score at both post-treatment and follow-up stages.
Conclusion
Based on the encouraging preliminary results, the manualized EAT-PTSD therapy was found to be a feasible, safe, and effective treatment option for PTSD among military veterans. The authors of the study recommend conducting larger and more controlled trials to further examine the effectiveness of EAT-PTSD in managing PTSD symptoms among veterans.
Cite This Article
APA
Fisher PW, Lazarov A, Lowell A, Arnon S, Turner JB, Bergman M, Ryba M, Such S, Marohasy C, Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Markowitz JC, Neria Y.
(2021).
Equine-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Military Veterans: An Open Trial.
J Clin Psychiatry, 82(5), 21m14005.
https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.21m14005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- First authors-equal contribution.
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- First authors-equal contribution.
- Corresponding author: Amit Lazarov, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, 10032 (al3676@cumc.columbia.edu).
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
MeSH Terms
- Adult
- Aged
- Animals
- Equine-Assisted Therapy / methods
- Female
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / therapy
- Treatment Outcome
- Veterans / psychology
Citations
This article has been cited 18 times.- Marchand WR. Potential Mechanisms of Action and Outcomes of Equine-Assisted Services for Veterans with a History of Trauma: A Narrative Review of the Literature. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023 Jul 16;20(14).
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- Viruega H, Imbernon C, Chausson N, Altarcha T, Aghasaryan M, Soumah D, Lescieux E, Flamand-Roze C, Simon O, Bedin A, Smadja D, Gaviria M. Neurorehabilitation through Hippotherapy on Neurofunctional Sequels of Stroke: Effect on Patients' Functional Independence, Sensorimotor/Cognitive Capacities and Quality of Life, and the Quality of Life of Their Caregivers-A Study Protocol. Brain Sci 2022 May 9;12(5).
- Hernández-Espeso N, Bronchud LD, Bernabé-Valero G. Animal-Assisted Therapy for Reducing Anxiety in Vulnerable Clinical Populations: A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Basel) 2026 Jan 21;14(2).
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