EMDR group treatment of children refugees — A field study

Given the significant growth in the migration flow of refugees who are fleeing from persecution, terrorism, and war-torn countries to Europe, there is an urgent need for effective interventions for the treatment of this highly traumatized population. EMDR Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) was provided to 14 child refugees (7 females) in 2016 at a Turkey orphanage near the Syrian border which was housing adult and child Syrian refugees. Treatment was provided in three groups, one each for children aged 3–7 years, pre-adolescents aged 9–12, and adolescents aged 13–18 with three sessions provided to each group. Pre-treatment assessment with multiple measures was compromised by difficulties with translator availability and refugee mobility, resulting in high attrition. When the post-treatment assessment was conducted 45 days later, many refugees had already left the orphanage. The sparse character of the data matrix produced analyzable data for 8 children (mean age 11 ± 3; 4 females) on the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES). Statistical analysis showed a significant decrease in CRIES scores, reflecting a decrease in severity of posttraumatic symptoms.

Journal

English

Sava Perilli
Alessandro Giuliani
Marco Pagani
Gian Paolo Mazzoni
Giada Maslovaric
Bruna Maccarrone
Vissam Hamza Mahasneh
Diana Morales

Perilli, S., Giuliani, A., Pagani, M., Mazzoni, G. P., Maslovaric, G., Maccarrone, B., Mahasneh, V. H., & Morales, D. (2019). EMDR group treatment of children refugees — A field study. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 13(2), 143-155. doi:10.1891/1933-3196.13.2.143