PSXII-2 Relationship between heart rate and unmounted equine interaction in-person compared to virtual for addressing perceived stress within college students.

Abstract Universities are facing an increasing number of college students struggling with mental health challenges. While mental health services have historically been available on campuses, the rate of students being diagnosed with mental health disorders continues to rise, suggesting alternative approaches to therapeutic interventions beyond talk therapy is required. Recently, equine interactive programs have been introduced on campus as one of these alternative therapeutic interventions. However, the physical nature of equine activities could be a limitation to participation, and as such, virtual equine interactive options have emerged. Nonetheless, exercise has been shown to promote positive feelings. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine if there is a relationship between heart rate and unmounted in-person equine interaction compared to virtual interaction for addressing perceived stress within college students. The day before finals week, full-time college students (n = 14) were recruited for an in-person equine interaction program with unmounted activities, including grooming, grazing, and leading the horse. Likewise, full-time college students (n = 12) were recruited to participate in equine interaction using a virtual reality system that included similar equine activities. Both interactive activities lasted under an hour. Heart rate data was collected using wearable wrist monitors, and self-perceived stress was collected through pre- and post-surveys for both treatment types. Data was analyzed using pre-post t-tests as well as correlation analysis between heart rate and perceived stress. For those participating in-person, results showed that the heart rate significantly increased (P = 0.003) and perceived stress significantly decreased (P < 0.0001). For those participating virtually, neither heart rate nor perceived stress were significantly changed (P = 0.096 and P = 0.064, respectively). There were no correlations between heart rate and perceived stress for either the in-person (P = 0.790) or the virtual equine interaction (P = 0.506). These results suggest that in-person equine interaction is more effective for reducing stress. However, since heart rate did not have a relationship with this lowering of stress, this reduction may not be solely based off of the physical activity associated with equine-based ground handling; but rather the direct interaction with the horse, although further research is warranted.