@Article{ijmhp.2026.078673,
AUTHOR = {Yalin Aygun, Sakir Tufekci, Goktug Norman, Burak Canpolat, Fatma Hilal Yagin, Sacide Tufekci, Cemil Colak, Burak Yagin, Huseyin Gurer, Hulya Berktas, Emek Guldogan, Matheus Santos de Sousa Fernandes, Đina Škulić, Larisa Draščić Šarinić},
TITLE = {‘Shared Emotions in Shared Weaves’: Perceived Positivity Resonance and the Social–Emotional Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapy},
JOURNAL = {International Journal of Mental Health Promotion},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/IJMHP/online/detail/26531},
ISSN = {2049-8543},
ABSTRACT = {<b>Backgrounds:</b> Children’s mental ill health has risen worldwide in recent years, placing increasing emotional demands not only on autistic children but also on their families. A holistic perspective on supportive therapies besides medical treatment is essential. There is a growing need for research and practice that explore equine-assisted therapy through innovative relational frameworks. This qualitative study had two main aims: first, to understand how parents perceived the social and emotional benefits of their autistic child’s involvement in equine-assisted therapy; and second, to explore how parents experienced positive resonance with their child during simultaneous parent–child involvement in the therapy. <b>Methods:</b> Eighteen parents (twelve mothers and six fathers) were interviewed across two equine-assisted therapy centers in Türkiye and Croatia. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. <b>Results:</b> Analysis resulted in a synthesis of how parents experienced equine-assisted therapy as a <i>social and emotional milieu for growth</i>, as moments of <i>shared positive affect</i> (the experiential component of positivity resonance), and as episodes of <i>caring nonverbal synchrony</i> (the behavioral component of positivity resonance). Specifically, parents saw the actual and potential benefits of horse-based therapies for themselves and their autistic children, particularly in the shared moments of positive affect that emerged during the riding sessions and in the caring nonverbal synchrony that unfolded through gentle, coordinated movements, mutual gaze, and quiet bodily attunement. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings suggest that this unique parent–child connection is rare in everyday life yet deeply meaningful, offering brief but powerful experiences of warmth, ease, and feeling ‘in sync’, which contribute to mental health and emotional well-being.},
DOI = {10.32604/ijmhp.2026.078673}
}