Use of Equine-Assisted Services to Improve Outcomes Among At-Risk and Indigenous Youth: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Equine-assisted services (EAS) are gaining popularity as ways to promote psychological health and social well-being. EAS may show particular promise as culturally appropriate initiatives for at-risk Indigenous youth, as they are thought to align well with Indigenous ways of knowing which place emphasis on relationships between the land and all living beings. We seek to better understand previous uses of EAS as initiatives for at-risk youth populations, including Indigenous populations, and learn about which outcomes have been addressed in the literature with an EAS initiative by conducting a scoping review. The review focused on initiatives targeting at-risk youth aged 10-18 years of age in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. A total of 27 studies were included in the final analysis from all target countries except New Zealand. The target populations were further divided into four subgroups: at-risk youth, youth with mental health disorders and/or learning disabilities, youth survivors of trauma/abuse, and at-risk Indigenous youth. Overall findings of the review suggest EAS are promising approaches for achieving therapeutic and learning goals with the potential to be successful with both Indigenous youth and at-risk youth more broadly.

Bibliometric Analysis on Equine-Assisted Interventions

“…[ 44 , 45 ] with several systematic reviews, scoping reviews, etc. [ 7 , 36 , 40 , 46 ], this study may help future research and provide a starting point. Another limitation is that some authors may intentionally use uncontrolled words to increase the discoverability of their papers.…”

The Behavioral Cost of Care: Changes in Maintenance Behavior during Equine-Assisted Interventions

“…Practitioners partner with equids when serving a variety of populations, including children, veterans, and older adults, and when treating a variety of presenting concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and life stressors, as well as severe and persistent mental illness [2,3]. The growing evidence base suggests promising outcomes for human recipients, including improvements in emotional awareness and regulation for underserved youth [4], improved stress management [5], decreased compassion fatigue and burnout in community care professionals [6], and improved resilience in high school students [7]. With the popularity of animal-assisted interventions on the rise, practitioners and researchers are calling for more attention to the welfare of animals working in the field.…”