THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) ON IRAQI CHILD WAR VICTIMS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IN BAGHDAD
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Date
2011
Authors
N. W ADAA, NAJLAA
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Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder following a serious
traumatic event that causes three clusters of symptoms: re-experiencing, avoidance
and hyperarosal for survivors. Many Iraqi children have developed traumatic
symptoms following the exposure to the current war. Their lives are filled with pain
and distress; hence, there is an acute need to explore an effective treatment for the
traumatized children. One such treatment is Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR), which is approved and recommended by professionals as an
empirically supported method of treatment for PTSD. The primary purpose of the
present study was to identify the effectiveness of EMDR .in reducing symptoms of
PTSD in Iraqi children. Also, it examined the relationships between PTSD symptoms
and other variables such as age, gender and parental trauma-attachment beliefs. The
participants of the present study were 300 Iraqi children (ages 7-12). UCLA PTSD
INDEX for DSM-IV (Parent Version, Revision 1) (Rodriguez et aI., 1998) was used
to measure PTSD symptoms in Iraqi children. Further, 200 children's parents were
recruited to detennine their trauma-attachment beliefs in Phase 2. Two instruments
were used for assessing children's reactions to EMDR: the Subject Unit Disturbance
Scale (SUD) and the Validity of Cognition Scale (VOC). In Phase 3, 50 children who
were diagnosed with PTSD but had never received any treatment were divided
randomly into two groups: control and experimental. The results showed a high
prevalence of PTSD symptoms (78%) among the child participants. There was no
correlation betwee:p PTSD symptoms and gender, t(298) = .57, p = .57, but a twotailed
bivariate Pearson's Correlation test (r = .26, P < .01) indicated there was a
correlation between PTSD symptoms and age: Older children showed more PTSD
symptoms than younger children. Iraqi parents had high trauma-attachment beliefs;
they manifested significant disruptions with regard to safety, trust, esteem, intimacy,
and control vis-a.-vis trauma symptoms. Bivariate linear regression revealed a
significant correlation between parental trauma-attachment beliefs and PTSD
symptoms. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to predict PTSD
symptoms among children who were living in Baghdad. Results showed that
children's age and parental trauma-attachment beliefs could predict PTSD symptoms:
the older the child and the higher the parental attachment beliefs, the more severe the
child's PTSD symptoms. Finally, t-test was utilized to test differences in means of
PTSD symptoms for the experimental group before the EMDR program. The result
showed that EMDR was effective in treating PTSD symptoms in children [ t( 48) =
6.83, p < .001 ]. The present study found that many children suffered from PTSD
symptoms without being treated. Also, an early treatment using EMDR might prevent
Iraqi children from developing PTSD symptoms and might lead to better well-being
and a better future for them. Iraqi parents, the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry
and the government must give due interest and commitment to psychological care as a
pathway to containing negative reactions to trauma among children. This is crucial as
children represent the future ofIraq.
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Keywords
IRAQI CHILD WAR , STRESS DISORDER