Effect of EMDR for Reduction of Pain Interference in Children With Sickle Cell Disease
Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)
40 participants
Sep 20, 2024
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
Children with sickle cell disease may experience frequent painful episodes. This, together with the traumatic experiences during a hospitalization, can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress reactions. As the stress can trigger painful episodes (pain crisis) in children with sickle cell disease, the investigators think that treating these stress symptoms can reduce the pain-related problems in their lives. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is proven to be an effective trauma treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Research studies show that EMDR can reduce pain in adults. The investigators want to study now if EMDR effective is in reducing pain-related problems in children with sickle cell disease.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria4
- Medical diagnosis of SCD
- Age between 6 and 18 years old
- Elevated pain interference scores: Reporting above the clinical cut-off T-score of 49 on PROMIS Pain Interference (parent-proxy version for children from 6-7 years and self-report version for children from 8 years).
- Having sufficient knowledge of the Dutch or English languages to complete the assessments
Exclusion Criteria6
- Undergone successful stem cell transplantation
- Pregnant adolescents
- Current unsafety that is likely to interfere with psychological therapy for example ongoing domestic violence
- Major interfering acute medical or psychiatric condition, such as psychosis, substance dependence, current severe self-harm or high risk for suicide requiring immediate treatment
- Receiving psychological (trauma) treatment by another therapist at the same time
- IQ estimated to be \< 80 based on information contained in the medical history or information from educational services/school
Interventions
The Dutch version of the standard EMDR protocol with age-specific adaptations for children and adolescents will be used. The eight phases consist of history taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation. During an EMDR session, the child focuses on emotionally disturbing memories (images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations) while simultaneously focusing on an external distracting stimulus (e.g., eye movements). This process facilitates accessing and desensitizing the traumatic memory network, so information processing is enhanced, and new associations can be made between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories and information. As a result, the traumatic memory representation will be less intense and emotionally disturbing. After the intake session (week 1), including case conceptualization and treatment plan, a maximum of 6 weekly EMDR sessions with a duration of 1 hour per session will be offered.
Locations(1)
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NCT07001631