Abstract

When a child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), caregivers must navigate a complicated maze of information while experiencing their own emotional journey. Maladaptive behaviors seen in children with ASD can make daily routine tasks difficult to complete and attribute to higher levels of caregiver stress. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches in treating ASD are gaining interest as caregivers are becoming involved in care planning. Equine programs are becoming increasingly popular options to treat maladaptive behaviors associated with ASD. The purpose of this project was to evaluate if equine programs in the Phoenix, Arizona area used to treat children with ASD reduce self-perceived caregiver stress and determine if time and experience are factors. Caregivers with children registered at 1 of 3 equine facilities received pre-post questionnaires to evaluate perceived stress scores and provide an opportunity for reflection. Analysis of stress scores conducted at baseline and after 3 months of child participation in an equine-based program indicate lower mean stress scores in caregivers using an equine program for more than 1 year. Caregivers shared the unique setting on equine-based treatments brought forth positive emotions.

Jennifer May

Author Details

Jennifer May, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, CNE-cl

Sigma Membership

Beta Upsilon

Lead Author Affiliation

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Caregiver Stress, Equine Programs, Maladaptive Behaviors, Program Evaluation

Advisor

Skow, Lisa

Second Advisor

McManis, Beth

Third Advisor

Espinoza, Miriam

Fourth Advisor

O'Haver, Judith

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Northern Arizona University

Degree Year

2024

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

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