Effectiveness of EMDR Therapy Compared to CBT in Children Aged 3 to 6 Years With Trauma, Stress, or Anxiety Disorders

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing EMDR therapy in young children aged 3 to 6 years who have disorders related to stress, anxiety, or trauma. It also seeks to understand if the therapys effectiveness is influenced by the childrens level of cognitive functioning. The study includes 60 children, both girls and boys, and is designed as a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one receiving EMDR therapy and the other receiving a control therapy using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT. The study consists of four main phases a pre-treatment phase for evaluating cognitive functions and symptoms, a treatment phase lasting 6 to 10 weeks where children receive either EMDR or CBT, a post-treatment phase for reassessment, and a continuation phase offering EMDR treatment to children in the control group who do not show improvement. During the study, children and their parents will undergo several assessments including symptom evaluations and cognitive testing at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after inclusion. Researchers will measure changes in trauma-related disorders, anxiety, parental stress, child behavior, and cognitive and executive functions. The study expects to observe a significant reduction in symptoms for children receiving EMDR therapy compared to those receiving control therapy, with effects lasting at least three months.

EMDR Therapy in Young Children, a Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial