Journal of Trauma & Treatment

Acute Post-Traumatic Stress Reactions in Children Survivors of a Large Road Traffic Accident: Epidemiological Analysis and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Treatment

Abstract

Maslovaric G, Zambon V, Balbo M1, Fernandez Iand Piola P

Introduction: In the last years, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder played a leading role in clinical research, together with its Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment. The analysis of the effectiveness of the treatment through EMDR on post traumatic symptoms is the subject of this survey, which was experienced on a group of children being victims of a serious car accident and on their parents, comparing it with other English research.

Method: This survey is based on the study of the reduction in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms on some children attending primary school, involved in a serious school bus accident. Through a statistic analysis of the replies to the questionnaires and interviews before and after the treatment, the non-spontaneous remission of the three clusters (intrusivity, avoidance, and arousal) for the group of children not treated has been the subject of this study. Two different groups established, thanks to the different times of access to treatment: a so-called experimental group and the control one.

Results: The results obtained through this survey provided some very important records on the number of children developing a post traumatic syndrome after a serious event. We found out that without treatment, reactions can last several months without evolving into a spontaneous remission, as from the records of the delayed treatment control group, smaller than the experimental one, showing a higher percentage of post traumatic symptoms. From the records appeared after the clinical interviews on parents and on the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment carried out with them, it is clear the strong need of a psychotherapeutic intervention, also with parents and caregivers of children victims of a traumatic experience.

Conclusion: This survey was a real success considering the compliance to treatment, if compared with other research in current literature. Above all, it was relevant to underline the importance of a prompt intervention, focused on acute phase of trauma. EMDR actually played an effective role in the therapy with children.

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