Responses of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or a cognitive-behavioral treatment as mediated by attachment status

The primary focus of this investigation was to evaluate the responses of individuals diagnosed with PTSD to treatment with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In the event that a participant was unable to tolerate the EMDR approach, an alternative cognitive-behavioral treatment approach was offered. It was anticipated that individuals exhibiting Secure Attachment status as revealed on administration of the Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI) would experience lower scores between pre- and post-intervention administrations of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). 6 individuals took part in the study; 5 completed the EMDR protocol and one completed an alternative cognitive-behavioral therapy program due to problems tolerating the EMDR treatments. Subjects met with the researcher/therapist from 1 to 12 sessions, participating in the assessment, psychoeducational, and treatment components of the protocol. The application of the BORRTI Insecure Attachment (IA) measure resulted in 5 of the participants receiving a designation Secure Attachment status and 1 person an Insecure Attachment status classification. Thus, comparison groups according to attachment status designation could not be formed. Comparisons of group mean differences between the pre- and post-intervention administrations of the SCL-90-R did not reveal statistically significant differences with regard to the five individuals completing the EMDR protocol. Limitations of the study are discussed, as well as implications for future research on the mediating influences of attachment status on the treatment of PTSD.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Peter Clifford Sayer

Sayer, P. C. (2002, August). Responses of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or a cognitive-behavioral treatment as mediated by attachment status. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 63(2-B), 1047