Equine-assisted activities and the impact on perceived social support, self-esteem and self-efficacy among adolescents - an intervention study.
In this project, we examined the effect of a 4-month intervention with horses on perceived social support, self-esteem and general self-efficacy among Norwegian adolescents aged 12-15 years. The intervention took place at farm-based stables and included work with the horses and riding. A waiting-list crossover design was used and the participants answered questionnaires at three time periods. Study I (N= 49) examined the effect of the intervention compared with the control group. Study II (N= 41) examined the relationship between the same psychological variables and change in mastering skills with horse. The intervention group reported a significant increase in perceived social support compared with the control group. There were no differences in self-esteem and general self-efficacy between the groups. The results from study II showed that a lower level of perceived social support prior to the intervention predicted an increase in mastering skills with the horse during the intervention.
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
Hilde
H
Hauge
Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Ingela L
IL
Kvalem
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
Bente
B
Berget
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Studies, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marie-José
MJ
Enders-Slegers
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
Bjarne O
BO
Braastad
adolescents; equine-assisted activities; horses; intervention; social support