AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR INSURANCE APPROVED EQUINE-ASSISTED THERAPIES FOR VETERANS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR INSURANCE APPROVED

EQUINE-ASSISTED THERAPIES FOR VETERANS WITH

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

By Amy Hofmann

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Robert Causey

A Lay Abstract of the Thesis Presented

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Master of Science

(in Animal Sciences)

May, 2010

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that is accompanied by acute or chronic alterations to the body’s stress-response system.  PTSD is categorized as a stress or anxiety related disorder that arises after exposure to a traumatic situation.  The United States’ government is always looking for therapeutic methods for treating PTSD, as PTSD is extremely prevalent within veteran populations.  Currently, there is no one method of choice for the treatment of PTSD, and many current methods are considered ineffective.  

  Animal-assisted therapies are an alternative form of therapy that is rapidly growing in popularity.  In relation to PTSD treatment, equine-assisted therapies may be particularly valuable.  There are vast amounts of studies that demonstrate that horses may be excellent therapy animals.  However, when it comes to assessing equine-assisted activities, evidence needs to be much less subjective, as a verified therapy may be covered financially by an insurance company.  Unfortunately, due to the lack of hard evidence, it is a rarity that equine-assisted therapies are covered by insurance companies.  Similarly, they are not a common form of therapy.  People, especially those suffering, need to be aware that alternative forms of therapy exist, as not everyone responds well to conventional therapies.

There are current projects designed by professors and researchers at the University of Maine and professionals at the Togus V.A., in Augusta, Maine.   These projects are attempting to demonstrate that equine-assisted activities can be effective in the treatment of PTSD, particularly in a population of diagnosed veterans.  It is believed that the proposed experimental design is fashioned in a way that addresses the major issues that insurance companies currently have with equine-assisted activities used in therapeutic settings.  The hopes of the proposed projects are to demonstrate, qualitatively and quantitatively, that equine-assisted activities are effective in a therapeutic setting, and show medical insurance companies that they can treat them as valuable forms of therapy.  The presented thesis will evaluate the proposed project and demonstrate how its design addresses the major issues that insurance companies have regarding equine-assisted activities used in therapy.