Trial reportAddiction science & clinical practice2015
Substance use disorder treatment retention and completion: a prospective study of horse-assisted therapy (HAT) for young adults.
Trial report in Addiction science & clinical practice, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychodynamic Based Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Adults with Intertwined Personality Problems and Traumatization: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Complementary horse-assisted therapy for substance use disorders: a randomized controlled trial.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2020Trial
- Therapists' reasons for including horses into psychotherapy, a qualitative study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Substance withdrawal during psychotherapy incorporating equines: A preliminary investigation of the role of neurotransmitters during treatment.Journal of equine rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Cognitive and physiological impacts of psychotherapy incorporating human-equine interactions during substance withdrawal: A scoping review.Journal of equine rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Does Equine Interaction Facilitate Emotional Safety and Learning for College Students within an Agricultural-Based Classroom?European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2023Article
- An evaluation of the effect of equine-facilitated psychotherapy on patients with substance use disorders.PloS one · 2023Article
- Equine-assisted services for individuals with substance use disorders: a scoping review.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2022Article
- The Nguudu Barndimanmanha Project-Improving Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Aboriginal Youth Through Equine Assisted Learning.Frontiers in public health · 2019Article
- Young adults' reasons for dropout from residential substance use disorder treatment.Qualitative social work : QSW : research and practice · 2018Article
- The Efficacy of Dog Assisted Therapy in Detained Drug Users: A Pilot Study in an Italian Attenuated Custody Institute.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Article
- Contribution of the patient-horse relationship to substance use disorder treatment: Patients' experiences.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2016Article
- More Than Just a Break from Treatment: How Substance Use Disorder Patients Experience the Stable Environment in Horse-Assisted Therapy.Substance abuse : research and treatment · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundKeeping substance use disorder patients actively engaged in treatment is a challenge. Horse-assisted therapy (HAT) is increasingly used as a complementary therapy, with claimed motivational and other benefits to physical and psychological health. This naturalistic study aimed to assess HAT's impact on the duration and completion of treatment for young substance users at Oslo University Hospital.
methodsDischarge and other data were derived from the Youth Addiction Treatment Evaluation Project (YATEP) database for patients (n = 108) admitted during an 18-month period. An intention-to-treat design, and univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare those receiving treatment as usual (n = 43) with those who received treatment as usual plus HAT (n = 65).
resultsDespite a lack of randomization, the baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. However, more HAT participants completed treatment (56.9 vs 14 %, p < 0.001), remained in treatment for longer (mean 141 vs 70 days, p < 0.001) and had a significantly higher chance of completing their treatment than those not given the HAT program. Excluding time in treatment, and after controlling for the potentially confounding influence of age, sex, education, number and severity of substances used, psychological distress and number of temporary exits, the adjusted odds ratio for treatment completion was 8.4 in the HAT group compared with those not participating in HAT (95 % CI 2.7-26.4, p < 0.001).
conclusionThe study found a statistically significant association between HAT participation and time in treatment, and between HAT participation and completion of treatment. This association does not infer causality. However, it adds supporting evidence for the development of an innovative therapy, and warrants investment in further research in relation to its inclusion in substance use disorder treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.