Evaluation of the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents in Ukraine during war.

Background

In Ukraine, an entire generation of children is directly or indirectly affected by chronic exposure to potentially traumatic events due to the ongoing war, and many children may develop trauma-related disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was implemented for therapists treating children and adolescents in Ukraine. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of this evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents living amid ongoing war.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents living under ongoing war conditions in Ukraine.

Methods

EMDR for Children and Adolescents (C&A) is implemented in Ukraine by EMDR C&A trainers from three European countries (the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy), who trained Ukrainian therapists. Outcome data from N = 151 children and adolescents (62.9% female, M = 10.87 years; SD = 4.34, range 1-17) treated by n = 32 therapists have been analysed. Children and parents completed the CATS-2 to measure self - and caregiver-reported symptoms of PTSD before and after treatment. The data collection period occurred from June 2023 to January 2025.

Results

At the end of treatment, the patients reported significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with large pre-post effect sizes for DSM-5 PTSD (d self-report = 1.83; d caregiver report = 1.93), ICD-11 PTSD (d self-report = 1.62; d caregiver report = 1.57), ICD-11 CPTSD (d self-report = 1.63; d caregiver report = 1.74), and DSM-5 pre-school PTSD (d = 1.72).

Conclusion

Despite the methodological limitations of this study, the results suggest that EMDR can be delivered effectively to children and adolescents in regions impacted by ongoing war. Future studies should replicate these findings and evaluate the effects of EMDR during war conditions using a randomised controlled design.