Horse-assisted Intervention, Heart Rate Variability & Stress

Horse-assisted Intervention and Heart Rate Variability in Participants Under Stressful Conditions

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Psychological Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: animal-assisted intervention; Behavioral: watching the countryside

Detailed Description

The early recognition of chronic stressors, which are often neglected by those affected until physical symptoms appear, is of essential importance. In addition to psychopharmacological therapy modalities, complementary methods such as animal-assisted intervention should also be considered in order to expand the therapeutic spectrum and thus prevent stress-associated consequential harms as early as possible.

Stress has gained importance in recent years not only in the medical context, but also due to its economic relevance. Chronic stress in particular leads to numerous medically relevant secondary diseases and to increased sick leaves and even permanent incapacity to work. One possible intervention to reduce stress could be animal-assisted intervention.

Primary hypothesis: The use of animal-assisted intervention in people diagnosed with chronic stressful situations will lead to measurable increases in heart rate variability.

Secondary hypothesis: The use of animal-assisted intervention in people diagnosed with chronic stressful situations leads to improved well-being (target parameter: POMS questionnaire)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 123
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Andreas Baranyi, M.D.; Phone Number: 004331638586241; Email: an.baranyi@medunigraz.at
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Bettina Frühwirth; Email: bettina.fruehwirth@stud.medunigraz.at

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Styria
    • Graz, Styria, Austria, 8036
      • Medical University of Graz

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male, female and diverse
• Age between 18-75 years

Exclusion criteria:

• 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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: subjects with stress burden and animal-assisted intervention; The 20-minute horse-assisted intervention takes place in compliance with basic safety precautions (safety bar between horse and participant) and after safety instruction in handling the therapy horse. The horse can be touched or stroked more or less intensively, depending on the needs and current state of mind of the study participant.	Behavioral: animal-assisted intervention; horse-assisted intervention
Active Comparator: subjects with stress burden and without animal-assisted intervention; Study participants only observe the natural environment.	Behavioral: watching the countryside; just watching the countryside
Active Comparator: subjects without stress burden and with animal-assisted intervention; The 20-minute horse-assisted intervention takes place in compliance with basic safety precautions (safety bar between horse and participant) and after safety instruction in handling the therapy horse. The horse can be touched or stroked more or less intensively, depending on the needs and current state of mind of the study participant.	Behavioral: animal-assisted intervention; horse-assisted intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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 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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Medical University of Graz
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Andreas Baranyi, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 10, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 23, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: psychological stress; animal-assisted intervention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Stress, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: 34-521

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No