The Impact of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Substance Use Disorder in a Psychiatric Hospital

Completed

• Conditions: Substance Abuse Disorder; Anxiety; Depression Secondary to Other Disease

• Registration Number: NCT06652269
• Lead Sponsor: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Brief Summary

This study aims to assess whether an EAP program affects anxiety, depression, and stress, which are often associated with substance use disorder. The management of these conditions has a major impact on the control of the addiction.

Detailed Description

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an EAP program on 32 respondents in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. These respondents were patients in a psychiatric hospital who were taking part in an addiction treatment program. The EAP program was conducted weekly over four weeks, with each session lasting three hours. The treatment effects were assessed using the STAI-Y modules 1 and 2, BAI, PSS, and DASS-21 questionnaires. The groups were compared before and after the four-week observation period.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2022-03-23
• Primary Completion: 2023-12-15
• Study Completion: 2023-12-15
• Status Verified: 2024-10
• Study First Submitted: 2024-10-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-10-18
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-10-18
• Study First Posted: 2024-10-22
• Last Update Posted: 2024-10-22

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 68

Inclusion Criteria

Patients of psychiatric hospital of Kosmonosy with substance use disorder

Exclusion Criteria

Exclusion criteria were possible cognitive deficit or reluctance to work with animals. Participants who did not complete all required materials or left the treatment program before completion were excluded from the study (N = 9).

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)	through study completion, an average of 18 months	The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is an instrument evaluating the current level of anxiety and personality traits. It was translated into the czech in 2019 by Figalová (2019). Scoring is done using a template, and the range of final scores is 20-80 for each subscale. The higher the score, the higher the level of anxiety or fear. The scores can be divided into three categories-no or low perceived anxiety/anxiousness, moderate anxiety/anxiousness, and high anxiety/anxiousness (Müllner et. al, 1980; Figalová, 2019).
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21)	through study completion, an average of 18 months	The DASS-21 scale has 21 items. Respondents rate their experiences in the past week on a four-point Likert scale (0 = not at all; 1 = sometimes; 2 = often; 3 = almost always). The questionnaire has three subscales: depression, anxiety, and stress. The depression subscale focuses on the patient's low mood, anhedonia, hopelessness, self-deprecation, devaluation of life, and decreased motivation. The anxiety subscale focuses on physiological arousal, subjective feelings of tension, situational anxiety, and fear. The stress subscale measures the inability to relax, tension, impatience, and irritability. For all three subscales, scores are categorized as normal, mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe (Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995).
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)	through study completion, an average of 18 months	The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a self-report scale to measure non-specific perceived stress (Cohen et. al, 1983). It is a short scale that is easy to administer, can be administered individually or in groups, is easy to score, and has satisfactory psychometric properties despite its small size. It is the most commonly used psychological instrument to measure perceived stress (Cohen \& Janicki-Deverts, 2009). The scale consists of 10 items. Within the PSS, scores can be divided into three categories: low stress, moderate stress, and high perceived stress (Buršíková et al., 2018).
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)	through study completion, an average of 18 months	The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; \[Beck et al., 1988\]) is a self-report instrument useful for assessing general anxiety in patients with anxiety disorders or depression. The BAI allows for the assessment of actual levels of anxiety. It assesses the expression of both somatic and psychological symptoms of anxiety. The questionnaire has excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and satisfactory test-retest performance (r = 0.75) at one week. The categories can be divided into minimal anxiety, mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Psychiatrická nemocnice Kosmonosy; 🇨🇿 Kosmonosy, Czech Republic