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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dc.contributor.authorN. W ADAA, NAJLAA
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-26T07:25:50Z
dc.date.available2016-01-26T07:25:50Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractPosttraumatic 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.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1703
dc.subjectIRAQI CHILD WARen_US
dc.subjectSTRESS DISORDERen_US
dc.titleTHE EFFECTIVENESS OF EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) ON IRAQI CHILD WAR VICTIMS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IN BAGHDADen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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