Abstract |
Objective: As veterans have high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) and historically poor treatment outcomes and high attrition, alternative treatments have gained much popularity despite lack of rigorous research. In this study, a recently developed and manualized 8-session group Equine-Assisted Therapy for PTSD (EAT- PTSD) was tested in an open trial to assess its preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes for military veterans.
Methods: The study was conducted from July 2016 to July 2019. Sixty-three treatment-seeking veterans with PTSD enrolled. PTSD diagnosis was ascertained using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, Research Version (SCID-5-RV) and confirmed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5). Mean age was 50 years, and 23 patients (37%) were women. Clinician and self-report measures of PTSD and depression were assessed at pretreatment, midtreatment, and posttreatment and at a 3-month follow-up. An intent-to-treat analysis and a secondary analysis of those who completed all 4 clinical assessments were utilized.
Results: Only 5 patients (8%) withdrew from treatment, 4 before midtreatment and 1 afterward. Posttreatment assessment revealed marked reductions in both clinician-rated and self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms, which persisted at 3-month follow-up. Specifically, mean (SD) CAPS-5 scores fell from 38.6 (8.1) to 26.9 (12.4) at termination. Thirty-two patients (50.8%) showed clinically significant change (≥ 30% decrease in CAPS-5 score) at posttreatment and 34 (54.0%) at follow-up.
Conclusions: Manualized EAT- PTSD shows promise as a potential new intervention for veterans with PTSD. It appears safe, feasible, and clinically viable. These preliminary results encourage examination of EAT- PTSD in larger, randomized controlled trials.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03068325.
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Authors | Prudence W Fisher, Amit Lazarov, Ari Lowell, Shay Arnon, J Blake Turner, Maja Bergman, Matthew Ryba, Sara Such, Caroline Marohasy, Xi Zhu, Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, John C Markowitz, Yuval Neria |
Journal | The Journal of clinical psychiatry
(J Clin Psychiatry)
Vol. 82
Issue 5
(08 31 2021)
ISSN: 1555-2101 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 34464523
(Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article)
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Copyright | © Copyright 2021 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. |
Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Animals
- Equine-Assisted Therapy
(methods)
- Female
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
(therapy)
- Treatment Outcome
- Veterans
(psychology)
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