The effect of the online eye movement desensitization and reprocessing early intervention protocol (EMDR R-TEP) for the risk groups with post-traumatic stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the research is to investigate the effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels of individuals who can be defined as high-risk groups during the pandemic. Therefore, the online EMDR R-TEP Protocol was applied to a total of 154 individuals working with coronavirus patients, frontline professionals (Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Polices, Red Crescent), relatives of coronavirus patients, coronavirus patients, and relatives of someone who died from coronavirus and the PTSD symptom level before, after, and 1 month after therapy was measured and examined. A personal information form and impact of events scale were used to collect data. Analyses showed that EMDR therapy was effective in reducing the PTSD level in all groups. The PTSD levels of frontline professionals continued to decrease until the follow-up test but remained the same in the other groups.

Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol EMDR Applied Online for COVID-19-Related Symptoms of Turkish Health Care Workers Diagnosed with COVID-19-Related PTSD: A Pilot Study.

Background: This study investigates the effect of the online Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol on posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and burnout symptoms in healthcare workers diagnosed with pandemic-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Methods: The study included healthcare workers who applied to psychiatry outpatient clinics due to the psychiatric symptoms that developed related to the pandemic and who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The Beck Anxiety Inventory, Impact of Event Scale-Revised to evaluate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal), Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory were used for the assessment. The tests were administered 3 times (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 1-month follow-up). Results: This study included 14 healthcare workers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; 2 (14.3%) physicians, 2 (14.3%) nurses, 4 (28.6%) other-healthcare workers/medical staff, and 6 (42.8%) other healthcare workers/non-medical staff. There was a significant decrease in Impact of Event Scale-Revised total score, the intrusion and hyper-arousal sub-scores between T1 and T2 (P = .018; P = .005; P = .0005, respectively) and between T1 and T3 (P < .001; P < .001; P < .001, respectively), but there was no difference between T2 and T3 (P = .89). A significant difference was found in repeated measurements of both Beck Depression Inventory [P < .001] and Beck Anxiety Inventory [P < .001] scores. There was a significant difference in emotional exhaustion, one of the subscales of Maslach Burnout Inventory (P = .09). However, there was no significant difference in depersonalization (P = .48) and personal accomplishment (P = .66). Conclusions: Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol appears to be capable of reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, intrusion, and hyperarousal symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and emotional exhaustion when symptoms that developed are related to the pandemic in healthcare workers.