Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial on the Provision of the EMDR-PRECI to Female Minors Victims of Sexual and/or Physical Violence and Related PTSD Diagnosis

Abstract

This longitudinal multicenter randomized controlled trial has three objectives 1) to evaluate the EMDR-PRECI in the remission of the PTSD Diagnosis on female minors who were victims of sexual and/or physical violence compared to treatment as usual (TAU), 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the EMDR-PRECI in the reduction of the PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms of the participants compared with TAU, and 3) to expand the knowledge on the existing correlation between the PCL-5 core criteria for PTSD provisional diagnosis and the CAPS-5 PTSD clinical diagnosis on this population. The study was conducted in 2019 in the cities of Puebla, Mexico, and Mexico City, in three sites of a non-profit organization who provide services to women in vulnerable situations. A total of 32 minors met the inclusion criteria. Participants’ ages ranged from 12 to 17 years old (M =15.35 years old). Participation was voluntary with the participant’s and their legal guardian's consent. It is relevant to mention that 31 of the 32 participants were pregnant during treatment with an average of 24.63 weeks (6.15 months) of pregnancy. All patients in the EMDR treatment group did not meet PTSD diagnostic criteria after treatment and at 90-days-follow-up assessments, while all patients in the TAU group maintained their PTSD baseline clinical diagnosis after treatment and at 90-days-follow-up assessments. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements were used for PTSD, Anxiety and Depression; t test and Cohen´s <i>d</i> effect size were calculated using within and between designs for the different measurements. ANOVA revealed a significant effect for time (F (2, 52) = 149.53 p <.001, <i>η_P²</i> =.852), for group (F (1, 26 = 140.71, p<.001, <i>η_P²</i> =.844) and Anxiety scores showed a significant effect for time (F (1, 26) = 32.89, p <.001, <i>η_P²</i> =.559) and a significant interaction effect between time and group (F (1, 26) = 17.37, p <.001, <i>η_P²</i>=.401) showed the decrease for the treatment group. For the depression scores significant effects were found for time (F (1, 26) = 21.77, p <. 001, <i>η_P²</i> =.456. Results also showed significant interaction effects between time and group. (F (1, 26) = 6.17, p <.05, <i>η_P²</i> =.192). No significant effects for TAU group were founded. The study results indicate that the administration of the EMDR-PRECI could be a feasible, cost-effective, and time-efficient therapy to address PTSD diagnosis, and PTSD, anxiety and depression symptoms in this population.