Psychological Benefits of Equine-Facilitated Activities for Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy
Open accessAbstract
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.
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- Ödek, U., Özcan, K., Özyurt, G., & Akpinar, S. (2022). Psychological Benefits of Equine-Facilitated Activities for Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Sport Mont, 20(1), 31-37. doi: 10.26773/smj.220206
- Ödek, Uğur, Özcan, Kürşat, Özyurt, Gonca, and Akpinar, Selçuk. "Psychological Benefits of Equine-Facilitated Activities for Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy." Sport Mont, vol. 20, no. 1, 2022, pp. 31-37. doi: 10.26773/smj.220206
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The Mental Health of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Review of the Last Five Years of Research
Rausch, R., Chahin, S., Miller, C., Dopheide, L., Bovio, N., Harris, A., & Patel, D. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm14124364 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Another study by Ödek et al. [45] examined the effects of Equine Facilitated Activities on various components of children and their mothers’ psychosocial functioning, including anxiety, depression, empathy, and aggression.”
Influential
- Authors
- Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, F. O. E., Ödek, U., Özcan, K., Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, F. O. E., Özyurt, G., İzmir Katip Çelebi University, F. O. M., Akpinar, S., & Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, F. O. E.
- Venue
- Sport Mont
- Publisher
- Montenegrin Sports Academy
- Published
- 2022-02-01
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 31-37
- ISSN
- 1451-7485 (ISSN-L)
- 2337-0351
- OpenAlex
- W4286342515
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 0.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Sport Mont (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Conservation › Art Therapy and Mental Health
- Keywords
- cerebral palsy, children with disabilities, anxiety, empathy, aggression, emotion regulation, maternal depression, maternal anxiety, animal-assisted therapy, complementary and alternative medicine
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