Social interaction changes in people with intellectual disabilities through the application of equine-assisted...

This study aims to provide basic information about the social interaction changes in people with intellectual disabilities through the application of equine-assisted intervention (EAI) in Korea. The subjects were 12 people with intellectual disabilities residing in a residential care facility in Korea. EAI was applied and consisted of communal activities and horseback riding. The intervention was conducted for 60 minutes each session, two sessions a week for 12 weeks. To determine the psychological aspects of the social interaction changes after the study cohort participated in the EAI, their social interaction anxiety, social phobia, and social avoidance and distress were measured. Their social interaction anxiety was measured using the Korean-Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (K-SIAS), and their social phobia was measured using the Korean-Social Phobia Scale (K-SPS). To measure their social avoidance and distress, the Korean-Social Avoidance and Distress scale (K-SADS) was used. The social interaction anxiety, social phobia, and social avoidance and distress results showed a continuous decrease after the application of EAI. Thus, the application of EAI, including communal activities and horseback riding, should be considered for people with intellectual disabilities in order to decrease their social interaction anxieties, phobias, and social avoidance and distress.