Equine Assisted Services in Children and Adolescents With Mental Illness
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 撤回
- 发起方
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Change in mood and feelings
研究概览
简要总结
Due to an increasing amount of children and adolescents are suffering from mental illnesses i Sweden. Early preventive psychological interventions are important to avoid a long-time use of medicines. Animal assisted therapy and especially equine assisted services (EAS) has shown to be a good complementary method to decrease anxiety and/or depression in children and adolescents. The main aim is to study the effect of a specific EAS program regarding symptoms of mental illness and in long-term follow-up of future healthcare consumption. We will conduct interviews with both participants and their parents besides the questionnaires at follow-ups (12 weeks, and 1 year) The intervention will be EAS at a farm following a detailed program, the staff at the farm are specially trained with a certification to practice EAS. Each session will last for about 60 minutes, once a week. Participants will get information of the study by the child and youth psychiatry in the region of Skane, and from student´s health team at elementary schools. Those who want ti participate will contact the study coordinator for full information and informed consent.
The EAS model has been used in treatment of adult with mental illness for many years, and the result are very positive. This project provides an opportunity to evaluate the effect of EAS to promote health and prevent severe manifest mental illness among children and adolescents. There are no previous studies of the long-term effect of EAS regarding health consumption.
详细描述
Aim and research questions The overarching aim is to evaluate the effect of EAS regarding symptoms of mental illness in both short and long-term among children and adolescents with mental illness.
The following research questions will be addressed:
Q1. What does it mean to participate in EAS for children and adolescents with mental illness and what does it mean for their parents or relatives? Q2. Does the intervention EAS lead to reduced emotional difficulties compared with control group according to children and adolescents and according to their parents or relatives? Q3. Does EAS affect conscious presence and degree of mindfulness among children and adolescents with mental illness compared with control group? Q4 Does EAS affect psychological resilience among children and adolescents with mental illness compared with control group? Q5. Are possible effects of EAS maintained up to twelve months after intervention? Q6. Are there differences in future healthcare consumption between EAS group and control group?
Study design and methods This project includes a randomized controlled trial with a longitudinal character combined with qualitative studies, to evaluate Equine Assisted Services versus no intervention.
Q1 will be answered by in-depth individual interviews with both children or adolescents and their parents or relatives.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Supportive Care
- 盲法
- Single (Investigator)
盲法说明
The investigators are not involved in recruitment of the participants, and have connections to them in a roll such as employees at the recruiting locations.
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 7 Years 至 17 Years（Child）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Age between 7 to 17
- •Depression
- •School refusers
- •Eating disorders
- •Established contact with the child and youth psychiatry in the region of Skane
- •Established contact wit the student´s health team at elementary schools in the region of Skane
排除标准
- •Severe allergy to horses
- •Do not speak, or do not understand Swedish, spoken and written.
- •Do not speak, or do not understand English spoken and written.
- •Those who cannot understand the intervention
- •Those who do not understand what it means to be in control group
结局指标
主要结局
Change in mood and feelings
时间窗: 1 time each week during 14 weeks and after 12 months
The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, Swedish version: Short Form. 13 statements with 3 alternatives; Incorrect, Sometimes, Correct. Proportion of participants who change their answer between measuring points Both child and caregiver fill out the form
Mindfulness
时间窗: at baseline after 14 weeks and after 12 moths
Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure, Swedish version, 10 statements that shall be graded in five step scale from Never to Always. Proportion of participants who change their answer between measuring points
Anxiety
时间窗: At baseline after 14 weeks and after 12 months
Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Swedish version, 45 statements with 4 alternatives; Never, Sometimes, Often, Always. Proportion of participants who change the score on the scale between measuring points
Strengths and difficulties
时间窗: At baseline, after 12 weeks and after 12 months.
Strength and Difficulties Swedish version, 25 statements with 3 alternatives; Incorrect, somewhat correct, Correct Proportion of participants who change their score on the scale between measuring points
Resilience
时间窗: Baseline, after 12 weeks and after 12 months
Resilience scale, Swedish version, is a 7 graded Likert scale from Incorrect to correct, that consists of 25 statements Proportion of participants who changes their score on the scale between measuring points
Photovoice
时间窗: 12 weeks after intervention start i.e. when the intervention ends.
The participants will take photos by a digital camera or their own cellphone. The photos will be a starting point for a qualitative interview with each participant. Each participant will take 20 photos with a specific significant of their experience of equine assisted therapy. The following interview will be based on their photos.
次要结局
- Compliance to intervention(during the 12 weeks of intervention)
研究者
Peter Nymberg
PhD
Halmstad University