Early intervention for residential out-of-home care staff using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

Residential out-of-home care (OoHC) staff regularly experience workplace-related trauma. This may contribute to the future development of a trauma- or stressor-related disorder. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for stress disorders but is largely unstudied in OoHC staff. The objective of the current study was to determine if EMDR, provided early within 3 months of an incident, reduced trauma symptom severity in OoHC staff.

During a 3-year pilot study (2018-2020), a trained clinician delivered the Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (R-TEP) and Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) EMDR to OoHC staff from one community service organization in Victoria, Australia. Retrospective data from the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) were deidentified and analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, individual EMDR (R-TEP) was provided via telehealth in 2020 in comparison with face-to-face sessions during 2018-2019.

Overall, a significant decrease in PCL-5 scores was seen from baseline to follow up, and staff who received R-TEP or G-TEP experienced reductions in symptoms. Both face-to-face and online modalities showed significant reductions in PCL-5 scores. No significant differences were found between the online or face-to-face modes of delivery, suggesting both options are effective. No adverse reactions were reported among the 144 staff who participated.

This study provides evidence for the efficacy of EMDR in reducing traumatic stress symptom severity for residential OoHC staff. A larger, prospective research study is needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).