Experiences of a Therapeutic Equine-Assisted Group Intervention for People with Common Mental Disorders on Sick-Leave

Abstract

Common mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders are increasing worldwide, resulting in long-term sick leave and lower quality of life. Traditional treatment is often insufficient to facilitate the recovery process, and the need for holistic interventions that enable successful recovery is evident. Equine-assisted interventions have shown promising results in health promotion among people with mental disorders, and further research is needed to implement them within the range of available care. The aim of the study is therefore to describe experiences of a therapeutic equine-assisted group intervention for people with common mental disorders on sick leave. The study has a descriptive qualitative design with an inductive approach. Ten participants with common mental disorders on sick leave were interviewed after participating in a 12-week equine-assisted intervention and the data were analysed with conventional content analysis. The analysis generated the overall theme “The equine-assisted group intervention facilitates recovery,” which summons the four categories “The environment of the horses contributes to relaxation and an ability to be in the present,” “The presence of the horses facilitates supportive relationships in the group,” “Interplay with the horses entails physical activity and bodily improvements” and “Emotional interactions with the horses strengthen inner power.” In conclusion, equine-assisted interventions have the potential to facilitate recovery for people with common mental disorders by providing relaxation, promoting the ability to be in the present, cultivating supportive relationships and providing physical activity and bodily improvements as well as emotional interactions that strengthen the participants’ inner power.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the interviewees most sincerely for openly sharing their experiences of participating in the equine-assisted intervention. The authors also want to thank the participating horse farms Cahom and Grön Hälsa och Rehab.

Disclosure statement

All four authors confirm that each meets the ICMJE criteria for authorship credit (www.icmje.org) as follows: (1) substantial contributions to the conception and design or acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation; (2) drafting the article and revising it critically; and (3) giving final approval of the manuscript before publishing.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.