Investigating the Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Individuals With Schizophrenia A Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, cilt.63, sa.11, ss.22-30, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 63 Sayı: 11
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.3928/02793695-20250415-05
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, DIALNET
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.22-30
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy on symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with individuals with schizophrenia registered at a community mental health center. The study involved 61 participants (30 in the intervention group, 31 in the control group). An 8-week equine-assisted therapeutic intervention was implemented for the intervention group. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Quality of Life Scale for Schizophrenia Patients (QLS), and UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS). Data were analyzed using means, frequencies, percentage distributions, chi-square test, and dependent and independent samples t tests. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between pre-and post-test mean scores of the PANSS, TAI, UCLA-LS, and QLS in the intervention group (p < 0.05), and none were found in the control group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Equine-assisted therapy effectively reduced symptoms, anxiety, and loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia, while improving their quality of life.