Implementing an eye movement and desensitization reprocessing treatment-program for women with posttraumatic stress disorder after childbirth
Open accessAbstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation and outcomes of an Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment-program for women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth. METHODS: A prospective cohort-study with pre- and post-measurements was carried out in the setting of an academic hospital in the Netherland. Included were women who gave birth to a living child at least 4 weeks ago, with a diagnosis of PTSD, or severe symptoms of PTSD combined with another psychiatric diagnosis. All received up to 8 sessions of EMDR-therapy. The posttraumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 was administered before and after treatment. Trauma history was assessed before treatment with the Life Events Checklist for the DSM-5, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Childbirth Perception Scale. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: Forty-four women were referred, 26 met the inclusion criteria. After treatment, none of the women met the criteria for diagnosis of PTSD after on average 5 weekly sessions of EMDR- therapy. These outcomes are promising, as they were achieved in women with relatively high levels of psychiatric comorbidity (64%) and high rates of previous mental health treatment (80%). CONCLUSION: Implementing an EMDR-treatment program for women with PTSD after childbirth in the setting of an academic hospital is feasible and effective. Key factors for success include a close collaboration between the relevant hospital departments and a thorough case conceptualization addressing the etiology of the PTSD.
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EMDR shows promising results in alleviating PTSD symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women.
“Furthermore, promising results in EMDR’s ability to alleviate PTSD symptoms have been observed in a variety of settings, including the treatment of PTSD in pregnant women and postpartum [79,80].”
From Clinical Efficacy of Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Analysis. (2024) · cites this paper as [79]
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- Authors
- Kranenburg, L. W., Bijma, H. H., Eggink, A. J., Knijff, E. M., & Lambregtse-van den Berg, M. P.
- Affiliations
- Erasmus MC (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Kranenburg, Leonieke W.
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2022-01-21
- Volume
- 12
- Pages
- 797901-797901
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8815617
- OpenAlex
- W4205158805
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 2.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Keywords
- post-traumatic stress disorder, childbirth, postpartum mental health, treatment implementation, psychiatric comorbidity, case formulation, hospital collaboration, childbirth perception
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