Investigating the Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Individuals With Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy on symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with individuals with schizophrenia registered at a community mental health center. The study involved 61 participants (30 in the intervention group, 31 in the control group). An 8-week equine-assisted therapeutic intervention was implemented for the intervention group. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Quality of Life Scale for Schizophrenia Patients (QLS), and UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS). Data were analyzed using means, frequencies, percentage distributions, chi-square test, and dependent and independent samples t tests. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between pre- and post-test mean scores of the PANSS, TAI, UCLA-LS, and QLS in the intervention group ( p < 0.05), and none were found in the control group ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: Equine-assisted therapy effectively reduced symptoms, anxiety, and loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia, while improving their quality of life.