The need for a cross-cultural adaptation of the EMDR group protocol intervention for trauma affected children and adolescents: Reflections from the Sri Lankan context

When used within a group set-up, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), is a key intervention to enhance psychological healing and resilience. Used with children, adolescents and adults, in its original and adapted formats, EMDR has proven effective in the treatment of trauma in many countries. Sri Lanka has experienced several traumatic events, including a now-concluded 30-year ethnic conflict, the Tsunami, and the more recent Easter attacks. Though EMDR was introduced to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Tsunami in 2004, there is a dearth of research of this intervention, locally. In order to fulfill this gap, the EMDR group protocol was used with children and adolescents impacted by the Easter attacks that occurred on 21/4/2019 in Sri Lanka. 854 female students, ranging from 9 to 18-years, from one school, participated. Primary and secondary students were taken separately. With 10 groups in all, each group consisted of 73 -100 students. Subsequent to this intervention, the authors reflected on the necessity to cross-culturally adapt the EMDR group protocol to the Sri Lankan context. Particularly, for adolescents: (i) there is a need to include a component of psycho-education on the psychological effects of trauma, (ii) there is a need to include a component on the facets of a balanced future life, and (iii) as most adolescents were writing than drawing, it was deemed more culturally appropriate to guide them to write about one particular memory in each box. The authors intend to crossculturally adapt the EMDR group protocol to Sri Lanka.

Conference

English

Rekha Aththidye

Aththidye, R. (2020, January). The need for a cross-cultural adaptation of the EMDR group protocol intervention for trauma affected children and adolescents: Reflections from the Sri Lankan context. Poster presented at the 4th EMDR Asia International Conference, Bangkok, Thailand