Evaluation of an Equine-Assisted Intervention for Children Exposed to Trauma

Background and Purpose

Research indicates that animal-assisted therapies may improve well-being for people who have experienced trauma. Although most of this research involves dogs, a few studies examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted services (EAS) with promising results (Naste et al., 2018). This study evaluates an EAS intervention with children who have experienced trauma and their caregivers. We hypothesized that participating children would report improved emotional self-efficacy and internalizing and externalizing behavior.

Methods

Children and caregivers were referred for participation in the EAS program by social service agencies and law enforcement based on reports of exposure to trauma. All families who chose to participate in the program were invited to complete measures at pretest and posttest.

Children participated in a 7-week psycho-educational EAS Intervention, Resilience Reins, which aims to improve children’s social skills, coping skills, and emotional self-regulation. All sessions include unmounted work with horses. While children participated in the Resilience Reins program, caregivers participated in the Parent Café, a six-week psycho-educational series that aimed to give parents/caregivers information on key protective factors and engage in meaningful conversations with other caregivers. Caregivers joined their children for the final session of the Resilience Reins curriculum.

Results

Children and their caregivers were administered measures at pretest and posttest. Children (n=78) completed the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), a reliable and valid measure of Academic, Social, and Emotional Self-efficacy. Caregivers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which includes the following subscales assessing internalizing and externalizing behaviors: Conduct Problems, Peer Problems, Emotional Problems, Hyperactivity, and Prosocial Behavior.

Caregivers provided demographic information and trauma histories for participating children. Among children for whom demographic data were available, 67.9% were girls, 35% were white, 2.3% were Black or African American, and 2.9% were Latinx. Caregivers identified children’s exposure to the following traumatic experiences: bullying, domestic violence and physical abuse, substance abuse, suicide attempts, sexual abuse, incarceration of parent, and death of a parent.

Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze changes over time on outcomes. The results indicated significant improvement on children’s ratings of their Social Self-efficacy. There was also significant improvement in caregivers’ ratings of their child’s behavior in the areas of Emotional Problems and Hyperactivity.

Conclusions and Implications

While further research using more controlled research designs is needed, the present study suggests that EAS interventions focusing on children and caregivers hold promise for social workers and other mental health professionals aiming to improve child behavior and well-being. Presenters will discuss how the participating program addresses potential barriers to participation, including transportation, to improve access to EAS for children and families affected by trauma.