The efficacy of a psychotherapy program based on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in alleviating postpartum post-traumatic disorder in women with prior childbirth experience

Abstract

The current study aimed to verify the effectiveness of a psychological therapy program based on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in reducing symptoms of postpartum post-traumatic disorder and its persistence during the follow-up period one month after the program's completion. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with control and experimental groups, as well as pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measurements. A purposive sample of 20 women who had experienced childbirth in the year 2023 and scored high on a postpartum post-traumatic disorder scale, with ages ranging from 25 to 43 years and a mean age of 32.80 years, was randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. The study tools comprised a demographic data collection form, a postpartum post-traumatic disorder scale developed by the researcher, and a 12-session EMDR therapeutic program. The findings revealed statistically significant differences at a 0.05 level between the mean scores of the control and experimental groups in the post-test assessments of postpartum post-traumatic disorder (total score and dimensions), with notable differences also observed in the pre-test and post-test scores within the experimental group. The EMDR program's effect size was significant, demonstrating its efficacy in alleviating symptoms of postpartum post-traumatic disorder. There were no statistically significant differences in the means of the experimental group's scores in dimensional and follow-up assessments of postpartum post-traumatic disorder. The t-test values (1.46, 1.18, 1.50, 2.386) for the dimensions and total score, respectively, underscore the sustained impact of the EMDR-based therapy program in mitigating postpartum post-traumatic disorder and its symptoms during the one-month follow-up after the program concluded. Consequently, several recommendations were proposed, including Early screening and effective therapy of postpartum post-traumatic disorder are crucial, the integration of EMDR therapy into women-focused therapy programs, especially those with prior pregnancy complications, and the training of healthcare providers in maternity hospitals on the EMDR technique.

Keywords

• اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة المرتبط بولادة طفل
• إزالة الحساسية بتحريك العينين وإعادة المعالجة
• العلاج النفسي الموجه للنساء
• التحفيز الثنائي