EMpower Parents: Effectiveness of EMDR Treatment for Parental PTSD Related to Their Child's Medical Condition.

Launched by ACADEMISCH MEDISCH CENTRUM - UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM (AMC-UVA) · Jan 10, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The EMpower Parents clinical trial is studying whether a short treatment called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help reduce PTSD symptoms in parents whose children are facing medical challenges, whether they are serious or ongoing. The researchers want to find out if this treatment is effective when done in person or through remote sessions. Parents will participate in four sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours, over two days. Some parents will be treated right away, while others will be placed on a waiting list and will receive the treatment after three months.

To join the study, parents need to be taking care of a child being treated at the Emma Children's Hospital in Amsterdam and should have some symptoms of PTSD. They must also be comfortable speaking Dutch and motivated to try this brief EMDR treatment. It's important to note that parents with certain serious mental health issues or who are already receiving other trauma treatments won't be eligible. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to help parents find relief from their distress as they support their children through medical treatments.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • One of the three conditions below on the PTSD Check List for DSM-5 (PCL-5): A 'moderately or higher' (2-4) score for at least one symptom in each cluster (B, C, D or E), or Three of the four PTSD criteria (one B symptom, one C symptom, two D symptoms and two E symptoms), or A (sub) clinical total score (\>24).
• • Being motivated for brief EMDR treatment.
• • Parenting a child under treatment of a healthcare provider at the Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC.
• • Having sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language to complete the questionnaires.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Major interfering acute medical or psychiatric condition, such as psychosis, substance dependence or high risk for suicide.
• • Insufficient fluency of the Dutch language.
• • Receiving psychological trauma treatment by another therapist at the same time.