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[The Eyes Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for children with traumatic traumatic stress disorder: A Tunisian
S Bourgou1, N Ben Mansour2, A Bouasker3
1Service de pédopsychiatrie, CHU de Mongi-Slim, 2046 Sidi-Daoued, La Marsa, Tunisie.
Insights
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) psychotherapy effectively treats Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in children. This flexible therapy requires fewer sessions and is adaptable for all age groups, showing significant symptom reduction.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Research
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) significantly impacts children's mental health.
- Effective, adaptable, and efficient psychotherapeutic interventions are crucial for pediatric PTSD.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-focused therapy with growing application in child populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) psychotherapy in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children.
- To assess the adaptability and efficiency of EMDR across different age groups within the pediatric population.
- To determine the statistical significance of symptom reduction following EMDR therapy.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study design was employed.
- Data were collected from child outpatients diagnosed with PTSD at a Child Psychiatry Department.
- Patients underwent EMDR therapy between July 2016 and May 2018 and were assessed using DSM-5 criteria pre- and post-therapy.
Main Results:
- The study included sixteen children (aged 3-17) exposed to various traumatic events.
- Following EMDR therapy, all patients no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
- Statistically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms were observed across all age groups (P=10-3 for >6 years, P<0.05 for <6 years).
Conclusions:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a highly effective psychotherapy for pediatric Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- The flexible protocol of EMDR allows for adaptation to various child ages and developmental stages.
- EMDR therapy typically requires fewer sessions compared to other trauma-focused psychotherapies, offering a significant advantage.
Objectives:
Evaluate the effectiveness of the Eyes Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing psychotherapy for children with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted in the Child Psychiatry Department of CHU Mongi Slim, Marsa (Tunis, Tunisia). All Outpatients with a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis and who had Eyes Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing psychotherapy during the period from July 2016 to May 2018 were included. They were evaluated according to DSM 5 criteria in pre and post therapy.
Results:
The sample consisted of sixteen children with a sex-ratio of 1.6. Their age ranged from 3 to 17 years old with a mean age of 9.5±4.6 years. Five patients were less than six years old. Our patients were exposed to a sexual assault (4 cases), a death of a family member (3 cases), a road accident (3 cases), a physical assault (4 cases), an arrest of the father (1 case) and burglary of the house (1 case). In 15 cases, the traumatic event was unique while it was repeated in one sexual assault case. The total number of follow-up sessions ranged from one to seven sessions with an average of 3±2.4 sessions. The average number of sessions for preschool children was 2.6±0.5 sessions. Bilateral tactile stimulations were used with thirteen children in our population, including the five children younger than six years old. At the end of the therapy all patients no longer met the criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis. All the preschool patients and eight children older than 6 years did not respond to any of the four Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder criteria. The difference between the scores of the DSM 5 criteria in pre and post EMDR was statistically significant. We found P=10-3 for children over six years and P<0.05 for children under six years old.
Conclusion:
Eyes Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapy that has several advantages. First, it is effective in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in children. Second, its protocol is flexible and adaptable to all ages and developmental level of the child. Third, the number of sessions is usually reduced, which is a great advantage over other trauma-focused psychotherapies.
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