Thesis
Effects of equine facilitated learning on diurnal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101660
Abstract
This study reports the results of an experimental trial to determine the effects of an 11- week equine facilitated learning (EFL) program on various indices of diurnal production of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis (HPA axis) in 5th through 8th graders. Children (N = 131) referred by school counselors and/or recruited from the community were screened for lower social competence (N = 113) and randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 53) or waitlisted control condition (n = 60). Based on six samples of salivary cortisol collected over two consecutive days at pretest and posttest respectively, children in the experimental group who participated in a series of once-weekly, 90-minute sessions of EFL activities had lower afternoon cortisol levels [F(1, 112) = 8.56, p = .017; d = .48] and lower average cortisol levels [F(1, 112) = 11.12 , p = .017, d = .46] at posttest when compared to waitlisted children. No statistically significant differences were found for morning cortisol levels, evening cortisol levels, and diurnal cortisol slope across the day. These findings represent the first causal evidence demonstrating that daily levels of children's stress-hormones can be reduced through participation in an 11-week EFL program. As such, this study contributes to a relatively-new and much-needed literature of applied clinical trials on preventive interventions with children and adolescents, which have paid minimal attention to changing the activity of physiological systems underlying physical and mental health outcomes.
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Details
- Title
- Effects of equine facilitated learning on diurnal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children
- Creators
- Annelise Noelle Smith
- Contributors
- Patricia Pendry (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Human Development, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525282201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis