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document
Improving adolescent social competence and behavior : a randomized trial of an 11-week equine facilitated learning prevention program . There is growing evidence that promoting social competence in youth is an effective strategy to prevent mental , emotional , and behavioral disorders in adulthood . Research suggests that programs delivered in collaboration with schools are particularly effective when they target social and emotional skill building , utilize an interactive instructional style , provide opportunities for youth participation and self-direction , and include explicit attempts to enhance youth social competence . A relatively new but popular approach that incorporates these characteristics is human animal interaction , which can be implemented in educational settings . We report the results from a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of an 11-week equine facilitated learning ( EFL ) program on the social competence and behavior of 5th-8th grade children . Children ( N = 131 ) were recruited through referral by school counselors and school-based recruitment and then screened for low social competence . Researchers randomly assigned children to an experimental ( n = 53 ) or waitlisted control group ( n = 60 ) . Children in the experimental group participated in an 11-week EFL program consisting of once-weekly , 90-min sessions of individual and team-focused activities , whereas children in the control group served as a wait-listed control and participated 16 weeks later . Parents of children in both groups rated child social competence at pretest and posttest . Three independent raters observed and reported children 's positive and negative behavior using a validated checklist during each weekly session . Results indicated that program participation had a moderate treatment effect ( d = .55 ) on social competence ( p = .02 ) that was independent of pretest levels , age , gender , and referral status . Results showed that higher levels of program attendance predicted children 's trajectories of observed positive ( β = .500 ; p = .003 ) and negative behavior ( β = -.062 ; p < .001 ) over the 11-week program .
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Intervention_Psychological
equine facilitated learning prevention program
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Intervention_Educational
promoting social competence
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Intervention_Educational
human animal interaction
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Intervention_Educational
11-week equine facilitated learning ( EFL ) program
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Intervention_Control
waitlisted control group
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Intervention_Psychological
EFL program
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Intervention_Control
control group
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Intervention_Control
wait-listed control
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Outcome_Mental
child social competence
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Outcome_Mental
children 's positive and negative behavior
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Outcome_Mental
Results indicated that program participation had a moderate treatment effect ( d = .55 ) on social competence ( p = .02 ) that was independent of pretest levels , age , gender , and referral status .
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Participant_Age
adolescent
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Participant_Age
youth
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Participant_Age
5th-8th grade children
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Participant_Age
Children
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Participant_Sample-size
131