Amy Van Leuven
Human-horse Interaction vs. Observation and Their Effects on Anxiety
Human-horse Interaction vs. Observation and Their Effects on Anxiety
Think of the last time you interacted positively
with an animal. Perhaps it was when you affectionately cuddled with your pet
dog or cat. Did you feel your level of stress decreasing? Did you feel your
heart rate or blood pressure decrease as you became more relaxed? Or, think of
the last time you looked at a picture or watched a video of an animal, such as
a couple-week-old puppy. Do you recall what effect that had on your emotional
state? Maybe most of us don’t have such keen insight into detecting decreased
heart rate and blood pressure, but it’s not uncommon to hear others speak of
positive effects from such interactions.
The idea that positive interaction with animals can
be an effective way to relieve stress is not only common, but implemented in
various forms of therapies. Even certain documented empirical cases have shown
animal interaction to reduce stress or anxiety. Seeking to relieve stress
through animal interaction was what first interested Amy Van Leuven when
deciding her senior research topic. She noticed the literature on the subject
seldom includes tests involving interaction with horses, specifically.
Because she is fond of them, she decided that using
horses in her study would be the most interesting and rewarding course of
action, despite potentially facing a “far more challenging” process than would
choosing other projects, she said. Van Leuven also said being encouraged by her
professor to follow a hypothesis that she cared about was “vital to her success.”
Not only did she need to construct a methodological process to test her
hypothesis the same as her peers, but she also needed to secure permission to use
several live horses, which took more time and energy than the typical senior
project. It was worth it, however, as the results would help inform an
up-and-coming “Equine Therapy,” a cause Van Leuven “whole-heartedly wanted to
pursue.”
Van Leuven recruited 16 subjects and had them
participate in four separate sessions where they would either interact with a
horse (i.e., ride, pet, or otherwise handle), or observe another person as they
interacted with a horse—two sessions for the former, and two for the latter. She
wanted to see if interaction would prove more effective than passive
observation in relieving anxiety.
How did she check for, or measure stress? Van Leuven
used three forms of measurement to analyze the anxiety levels of her
participants in order to track possible change across conditions. The first is
a questionnaire used for stress detection: the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
The other two were physiological measurements: a heart rate (HR) monitor and
blood pressure (BP) gauge. In order to make comparisons, Van Leuven had each
participant take the STAI survey and record HR and BP before and after animal
interaction or observation. Then all she needed to do was subtract the
before-score from the after-score to obtain a “change score.” This was done in
each of the four sessions.
Interestingly, this scenario did not reveal a statistically
significant difference in stress reduction between interaction and observation.
Both seemed to be about equal in how much stress they reduced (resulting in a
failure to reject the null hypothesis). However, Van Leuven did find
significant differences when she treated all sessions as one group, essentially
removing the interaction versus observation condition. She found participants
dropped in both STAI scores and HR, indicating that even though there was no
difference between interaction with, and observation of, horses, the experience
still led to a certain degree of stress reduction.
When asked how the process in general played out for
her, Van Leuven stated her seminar classes were “vigorous, exciting, sometimes
painful, and exhausting." "But," she continues, "they hold some of my favorite memories from my
entire college experience.”
After graduating, Van Leuven continued her path in
equine therapy. She said,
“My
‘fire’ for equine therapy is still very much alive. It is my senior research
that convinced me that this is what I wanted to do. Shortly after graduation, I
obtained my PATH (psychological association of therapeutic horsemanship) certification
allowing me to teach therapy-based lessons. I began a lesson program at
Gunstock Ranch on Oahu. When it came time to move off of the island, I left the
program in some very capable hands and am now working at Ascend Recovery in
American Fork, Utah. It is an alcohol and addiction recovery center. I am the
Equine Specialist, and conduct sessions with the patients several times a week.
Thus far, it has seemed that their sessions are a place of relief, peace, and
discovery. I absolutely love what I do and I would not be here if it were not
for my seminar classes and the undying support of the Psychology department.”
You can see Amy's study in more detail by viewing her project poster here.
Article by Kyle Evan Madsen
