Effects of Hippotherapy on Psychosocial Aspects in Children With Cerebral Palsy and Their Caregivers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of hippotherapy on psychosocial and emotional parameters in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their caregivers.MethodsEight children with CP were recruited (three males and five females; mean age, 7.3 years; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels 1–3). Hippotherapy sessions were conducted for 30 minutes once weekly for 10 consecutive weeks in an indoor riding arena. The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index were evaluated. All children were evaluated by the Children's Depression Inventory, Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, State Anxiety Inventory for Children, Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, and the Korean-Satisfaction with Life Scale (K-SWLS). Their caregivers were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the K-SWLS. We assessed children and their caregivers with the same parameters immediately after hippotherapy.ResultsSignificant improvements on the GMFM, dimension E in the GMFM, and the PBS were observed after hippotherapy compared with the baseline assessment (p<0.05). However, no improvements were detected in the psychosocial or emotional parameters in children with CP or their caregivers. None of the participants showed any adverse effects or accidents during the 10 weeks hippotherapy program.ConclusionsHippotherapy was safe and effectively improved gross motor and balance domains in children with CP. However, no improvements were observed in psychosocial or emotional parameters.

Impact of Long-Term Hippotherapy on the Walking Ability of Children With Cerebral Palsy and Quality of Life of Their Caregivers

“…Interestingly, this result validated the suspicion of a positive relationship between the changes in the psychological QOL, particularly in the “positive feeling,” of caregivers and improvement in the children's gait functions after hippotherapy. Conversely, several reports have shown that the health-related QOL of caregivers is not necessarily associated with their children's level of functioning (35) or with improvements in their level of performance (23). Although the sample size in our study was small, which may have restricted the interpretation of our results, it is conceivable that hippotherapy may provide better psychological QOL within the family caregivers of children with CP by recognizing their children's gait function improvements through successful horseback-riding sessions.…”

“…Unfortunately, hippotherapy currently lacks a scientific basis for how it improves the QOL of these caregivers. Several earlier reports have suggested that hippotherapy motivates children to actively participate in social activities (5, 21); however, no psychological or emotional improvements in the QOL of mothers of children with CP have been demonstrated in small observational studies (22, 23).…”

Associations among Screen Time and Unhealthy Behaviors, Academic Performance, and Well-Being in Chinese Adolescents

“…Five items were positively worded and five were negatively worded. Items were summed with the negatively worded items reverse-coded to produce a self-esteem score from 0 to 30 (with higher scores indicating higher self-esteem) [ 33 ].…”

Avaliação Eletromiográfica Da Musculatura De Membros Inferiores E Da Função Motora Grossa Em Praticantes De Equoterapia Com Paralisia Cerebral

“…A equoterapia é uma estratégia de intervenção para melhora da funcionalidade de crianças com PC, uma vez que elas necessitam de tratamento contínuo, repetitivo e com estímulos diversos [6,7]. Como técnica de reabilitação, é uma modalidade facilitadora, lúdica e recreativa, que possibilita realizar movimentos, que muitas vezes se torna difícil de realizar no solo, e estimulando para que o paciente tenha uma melhor qualidade de vida [8].…”