Effects of Hippotherapy on Well-Being of Patients With Schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Psychosocial interventions are increasingly used in psychiatric patient. One of the modalities of this approach is use of animals, e.g., horses. Objectives: Investigation of hippotherapy effects in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: 25 patients with paranoid schizophrenia, or acute and transient psychotic disorders attended 90 minutes hippotherapy sessions two days a week for a period of three weeks. We evaluated effects of hippotherapy on well-being of patients defined as a state that has five characteristics - excellent mood, the feeling of total relaxation, no sense of fear, a willingness to establish contacts, and willingness to communicate. The participants indicated their current mental condition before and after each hippotherapy session. Results: Hippotherapy increased well-being (F = 7.81, P = 0.007) and the differences between the well-being scores before and after the treatments increased with treatment repetitions (F = 7.81, P = 0.007). The effect hippotherapy was statistically significant for all well-being characteristics except for tension in the first treatment and contact in the second treatment. Conclusions: These results indicate that hippotherapy is a useful psychotherapeutic strategy for patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.