Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Health Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)
Chair
Colleen Law
Keywords
Keywords: military spouse, overstimulation, burnout, work-life balance, mental health.
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Crook, Melissa A., "Using Equine-Assisted Therapeutic Interventions (Eati) for Military Spouse Overstimulation for Mental and Physical Well-Being: A Qualitative, Phenomenological Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7790.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7790
Abstract
Military spouses of deployed service members experience a multitude of stressors that pile up and can result in overstimulation. This overstimulation can result in psychosocial vulnerabilities such as burnout, anxiety, depression, and other conditions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the impact of Equine Assisted Therapeutic Interventions (EATI) on military spouses experiencing overstimulation. The theory guiding this study was the social cognitive theory with a social constructivism framework. Military spouses need a healthy outlet to reduce their overstimulation and burnout symptoms, mentally and physically. From the qualitative perspective, a Demographics and Background Survey was collected and analyzed using NVivo software, comparing the results of the feedback survey. SPSS software analyzed the data gathered from the PHQ-9 and PHQ-15 that were administered in weeks 0, 3, and 6. The study took place for a duration of 6 weeks with one-hour sessions each week for a total of 6 hours of EATI. Due to the number of military spouses, ten were selected for Wednesday, and ten were selected for Friday for intervention technique purposes with the equine at the facility site. After the 6-week in-person interventions, there was an optional, anonymous feedback survey conducted to gauge the feedback of the participants. This data was compared to the initial background information collected and analyzed using NVivo. The question that was addressed was whether the EATI was effective for military spouses. The expected key findings stemmed from the results of the questionnaires from week zero to week six from a quantitative perspective. Results: The PHQ-9 and the PHQ-15 results showed a decline from weeks 0 to week 6. The military spouses did enjoy the EATI according to the anonymous, optional feedback surveys, and want to continue equine therapies for their mental and physical well-being.
