Horse-assisted Intervention, Heart Rate Variability & Stress

ConditionPsychological Stress

Trial statusNot yet recruiting

Trial phaseNot applicable

Trial typeInterventional

Biological sexAll

Age18-80

SponsorMedical University of Graz

About this trial

In this study, the effects of an animal-assisted intervention on people with increased stress levels are investigated. The data collected will be compared with those of participants with high stress levels but without animal-assisted intervention (participants only observe nature) and with a control group consisting of people without stress exposure.

The study will be performed in the following setting: Questionnaire examination on chronic stress, questionnaire on current well-being and heart rate variability (HRV) measurement before the horse-assisted intervention, one HRV measurement and one questionnaire examination (POMS) on current well-being after the horse-assisted intervention, one questionnaire (POMS) on current well-being 5 days after the horse-assisted intervention.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Male, female and diverse

Age between 18-75 years

Disqualifiers

Animal hair allergies (especially horse hair allergies, fear of horses)

Acute severe psychiatric conditions (e.g. psychosis)

Persons, unable to give signed informed consent,

All persons, who have not signed the informed consent form.

Trial design

Design model

Sequential

Treatments tested in this trial

animal-assisted intervention
Behavioral
horse-assisted intervention
watching the countryside
Behavioral
just watching the countryside

Treatment groups

123 Participants

are divided into 3 treatment groups

Group A: subjects with stress burden and animal-assisted interventionExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Group B: subjects with stress burden and without animal-assisted interventionActive comparator 1 intervention

Group C: subjects without stress burden and with animal-assisted interventionActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

Change in heart rate variability

Change in heart rate variability immediately after animal-assisted intervention when compared with baseline heart rate variability before the animal assisted intervention.

Time frame

Time point 1: Baseline heart rate variability before the animal assisted intervention, Time point 2: heart rate variability immediately after the animal-assisted intervention

Secondary outcomes

Change in state of mood states (Profile of Mood States Questionnaire)

Change in state of mood states immediately after animal-assisted intervention when compared with baseline state of mood states before the animal assisted intervention (Profile of Mood States Questionnaire: minimum value= -24, maximum value = 177, lower scores indicative of people with more stable mood profiles).

Time frame

Time point 1: Baseline state of mood states before the animal assisted intervention, Time point 2: state of mood states immediately after the animal-assisted intervention

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Medical University of Graz

Lead sponsor

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: