Effects of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing on depressive symptoms, stress and rumination in adolescents with depression: A randomised controlled trialEfectos de la desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimientos oculares sobre los síntomas depresivos, el estrés y la rumiación en adolescentes con depresión: Un ensayo controlado aleatorizado
Description
Background
Adolescent depression patients who have experienced stressful life events usually have more severe symptoms. Existing treatment plans are not effective in reducing the high recurrence rate of adolescent depression. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an integrative therapy, can effectively alleviate depressive symptoms, but the evidence of its effectiveness in treating adolescent depression is still insufficient.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of EMDR in combination with medication in treating depressed adolescents.
Methods
A total of 30 adolescent patients with depression were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: EMDR co-treated with an SSRI medication or an SSRI medication used alone. The intervention group received standardised EMDR treatment. The primary outcome indicators were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and the Impact of Events Scale (IES-R), while the secondary outcomes were the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES).
Results
In the end, 30 people completed the experiment, 15 from each of the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received EMDR treatment three times a week for 2 weeks, with a total of 6 sessions, each lasting 60 min. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between time and group on children’s HAMD-17, IES-R, and RRS scores (all p < .05). Linear mixed models revealed that increasing the IES-R score was associated with an increase in depression levels (estimate value = 0.104, p = .019), while increasing the SES score was associated with a decrease in the depression levels (estimate value = −0.298, p = .021).
Conclusions
Incorporating EMDR add-on therapy to medication for adolescent depressed patients with stressful life events can effectively reduce the degree of impact of stressful life events on patients, as well as reduce depressive symptoms and rumination thinking.
Antecedentes
Los pacientes adolescentes con depresión que han experimentado acontecimientos vitales estresantes suelen presentar síntomas más graves. Los planes de tratamiento existentes no son eficaces para reducir la alta tasa de recurrencia de la depresión adolescente. La Desensibilización y Reprocesamiento por Movimientos Oculares (EMDR por sus siglas en inglés), una terapia integrativa, puede aliviar eficazmente los síntomas depresivos, pero la evidencia de su eficacia en el tratamiento de la depresión adolescente es aún insuficiente.
Objetivo
El propósito de este estudio fue investigar la eficacia de EMDR en combinación con la medicación en el tratamiento de adolescentes deprimidos.
Métodos
Un total de 30 pacientes adolescentes con depresión fueron reclutados y divididos aleatoriamente en dos grupos: EMDR co-tratada con un medicamento ISRS o un medicamento ISRS utilizado solo. El grupo de intervención recibió tratamiento EMDR estandarizado. Los indicadores de resultados primarios fueron la Escala de Depresión de Hamilton de 17 ítems (HAMD-17) y la Escala de Impacto de los Acontecimientos (IES-R), mientras que los resultados secundarios fueron la Escala de Respuestas Rumiativas (RRS) y la Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (SES).
Resultados
Al final, 30 personas completaron el experimento, 15 de cada uno de los grupos.
Adolescent depression patients who have experienced stressful life events usually have more severe symptoms. Existing treatment plans are not effective in reducing the high recurrence rate of adolescent depression. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an integrative therapy, can effectively alleviate depressive symptoms, but the evidence of its effectiveness in treating adolescent depression is still insufficient.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of EMDR in combination with medication in treating depressed adolescents.
Methods
A total of 30 adolescent patients with depression were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: EMDR co-treated with an SSRI medication or an SSRI medication used alone. The intervention group received standardised EMDR treatment. The primary outcome indicators were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and the Impact of Events Scale (IES-R), while the secondary outcomes were the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES).
Results
In the end, 30 people completed the experiment, 15 from each of the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received EMDR treatment three times a week for 2 weeks, with a total of 6 sessions, each lasting 60 min. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between time and group on children’s HAMD-17, IES-R, and RRS scores (all p < .05). Linear mixed models revealed that increasing the IES-R score was associated with an increase in depression levels (estimate value = 0.104, p = .019), while increasing the SES score was associated with a decrease in the depression levels (estimate value = −0.298, p = .021).
Conclusions
Incorporating EMDR add-on therapy to medication for adolescent depressed patients with stressful life events can effectively reduce the degree of impact of stressful life events on patients, as well as reduce depressive symptoms and rumination thinking.
Antecedentes
Los pacientes adolescentes con depresión que han experimentado acontecimientos vitales estresantes suelen presentar síntomas más graves. Los planes de tratamiento existentes no son eficaces para reducir la alta tasa de recurrencia de la depresión adolescente. La Desensibilización y Reprocesamiento por Movimientos Oculares (EMDR por sus siglas en inglés), una terapia integrativa, puede aliviar eficazmente los síntomas depresivos, pero la evidencia de su eficacia en el tratamiento de la depresión adolescente es aún insuficiente.
Objetivo
El propósito de este estudio fue investigar la eficacia de EMDR en combinación con la medicación en el tratamiento de adolescentes deprimidos.
Métodos
Un total de 30 pacientes adolescentes con depresión fueron reclutados y divididos aleatoriamente en dos grupos: EMDR co-tratada con un medicamento ISRS o un medicamento ISRS utilizado solo. El grupo de intervención recibió tratamiento EMDR estandarizado. Los indicadores de resultados primarios fueron la Escala de Depresión de Hamilton de 17 ítems (HAMD-17) y la Escala de Impacto de los Acontecimientos (IES-R), mientras que los resultados secundarios fueron la Escala de Respuestas Rumiativas (RRS) y la Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (SES).
Resultados
Al final, 30 personas completaron el experimento, 15 de cada uno de los grupos.
Format
Journal
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Zheng, S., Shen, Y., Geng, F., Ye, M., Song, S., Wang, Ruoqi, W., ... Zhou, X. (2025). Effects of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing on depressive symptoms, stress and rumination in adolescents with depression: A randomised controlled trial. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2488558. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2488558
Collection
Citation
“Effects of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing on depressive symptoms, stress and rumination in adolescents with depression: A randomised controlled trialEfectos de la desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimientos oculares sobre los síntomas depresivos, el estrés y la rumiación en adolescentes con depresión: Un ensayo controlado aleatorizado,” Francine Shapiro Legacy Library, accessed November 13, 2025, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/29681.