Uğur Ödek1, Kürşat Özcan1, Gonca Özyurt2, Selçuk Akpinar1
1Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Faculty of Education, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Nevsehir, Turkey
2İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Faculty of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, İzmir, Turkey
Psychological Benefits of Equine-Facilitated Activities for Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy
Sport Mont 2022, 20(1), 31-37 | DOI: 10.26773/smj.220206
Abstract
Equine-facilitated activities (EFA) are generally considered to be an alternative treatment method by using the natural body form, gait and behavior of horses. EFA have been used for many years to treat and to improve the living conditions of people with disorders or disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy (CP), arthritis, multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury, behavioral and psychiatric disorders. This study aims to examine the effects of adaptive riding (AR), which is a subdiscipline under EFA, on anxiety, empathy, aggression, and emotional regulation of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Maternal depression and anxiety level measurements were also included in the study. Twenty children with CP, between 7 and 10 years old and their mothers participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups (intervention and control) consisting of 10 participants. Pre and post measurements were implemented at the beginning and at the end of 8 weeks of AR intervention. The Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Bryant Index of Empathy Measurement for Children and Adolescents, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to measure the psychological and emotional status of the participants and depression, anxiety levels of mothers. Aggression, anxiety, and maternal depression decreased; empathy and emotional regulation improved in the intervention group. No significant differences found in the control group. This study provides strong evidence that an 8-week AR intervention has positive effects on children with cerebral palsy. Significant improvements regarding both maternal and children’s psychological and emotional aspects showed how an alternative therapy with animals can be constructive.
Keywords
aggression, cerebral palsy, emotional regulation, empathy, equine-facilitated activities, maternal anxiety, maternal depression
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