Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms, Depression, PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Quality of Life, Sleep Quality
Conditions
Keywords
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Anxiety, Sleep quality, quality of life, earthquake, QEEG
Brief summary
This study will examine the effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) group therapy on adults who experienced the April 2025 Silivri earthquake in Turkey. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an EMDR intervention group or a waitlist control group. Psychological symptoms will be measured using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Quantitative EEG (QEEG) recordings will also be collected before and after the intervention to assess changes in brain activity related to emotional regulation and trauma processing. The goal of the study is to evaluate whether EMDR produces both clinical and neurophysiological improvements in trauma-exposed individuals.
Detailed description
Traumatic experiences often lead to persistent psychological symptoms such as posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, which significantly impair quality of life. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based intervention for trauma-related disorders, and growing evidence suggests that it may also produce measurable changes in brain activity. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effects of EMDR group therapy on both clinical outcomes and neurophysiological markers in adults exposed to the April 2025 Silivri earthquake in Turkey. Forty participants meeting inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to either an EMDR intervention group (20 participants) or a waitlist control group (20 participants). The intervention group will receive 5-7 sessions of standardized EMDR group therapy, delivered face-to-face by trained therapists. Quantitative EEG (QEEG) recordings will be collected at baseline and after the intervention to assess changes in spectral power, frontal alpha asymmetry, and coherence patterns. Clinical outcomes will be measured with validated self-report instruments assessing PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, and overall health-related quality of life. This study is designed to test the hypothesis that EMDR group therapy produces significant improvements in both psychological symptoms and EEG biomarkers compared to a waitlist control. By integrating subjective self-report and objective neurophysiological data, the trial aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of EMDR's therapeutic effects in trauma-exposed populations.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Group Therapy
Sessions conducted in groups with one therapist and one co-therapist; each session follows the EMDR standard protocol.
Sponsors
Istanbul Galata University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned in parallel to either an EMDR intervention group or a waitlist control group. The EMDR group will receive 5-7 sessions of standardized group therapy, while the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period but will be offered EMDR after study completion
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Meeting DSM-5 criteria for posttraumatic stress symptoms following the April 2025 Silivri earthquake * Age between 18 and 50 years * Either medication-free for at least 1 month or on a stable dose of psychotropic medication * No medical contraindications for EEG recording (e.g., no epilepsy, no metal implants)
Exclusion criteria
* Current diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or a neurological disorder * Receiving psychotherapy * Inability to attend sessions regularly due to logistical or cognitive limitations
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PCL-5) | Baseline (Pre-intervention, T1; Week 0) and Post-intervention (T2; Week 6, after completion of EMDR intervention) | The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a 20-item self-report scale measuring the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms according to DSM-5 criteria. Scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating more severe PTSD symptoms. Change in total score from baseline (pre-intervention) to post-intervention will be assessed. |
| Change in Quantitative EEG (QEEG) Power Spectral Measures | Baseline (Pre-intervention, T1; Week 0) and Post-intervention (T2; Week 6, after completion of EMDR intervention) | EEG recordings will be collected using the Neuron-Spectrum-5 device according to the international 10-20 system. Power spectral analyses will be performed across frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, high beta). Changes in absolute and relative power from baseline to post-intervention will be examined. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Quality of Life (SF-36) | Baseline (Pre-intervention, T1; Week 0) and Post-intervention (T2; Week 6, after completion of EMDR intervention) | The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is a 36-item measure of health-related quality of life, covering physical functioning, role limitations, pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, and emotional well-being. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting better quality of life. Change in domain scores will be assessed from baseline to post-intervention. |
| Change in Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DASS-21) | Baseline (Pre-intervention, T1; Week 0) and Post-intervention (T2; Week 6, after completion of EMDR intervention) | The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report instrument measuring emotional distress across three subscales (depression, anxiety, stress). Scores range from 0 to 42 for each subscale, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Change in scores will be assessed from baseline to post-intervention. |
| Change in Sleep Quality (PSQI) | Baseline (Pre-intervention, T1; Week 0) and Post-intervention (T2; Week 6, after completion of EMDR intervention) | The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a 19-item self-report questionnaire assessing sleep quality and disturbances over the past month. Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. Change in total score will be assessed from baseline to post-intervention. |
Contacts
CONTACTÇiğdem Kınık, PhD
CONTACTÖnder Kavakçı, MD. Prof Dr
Outcome results
None listed