Adjustment disorder and traumatic stress Adjustment disorder (problems coping with life changes and difficulty adjusting to new situations) and traumatic stress (stress after an adverse event)
Conditions
Interventions
 
Culturally adapted EMDR
Sponsors
Universiteit Utrecht
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 64 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Age: Participants must be 18 years or older.Migration Background: Participants must self-identify as voluntary first-generation migrants, expatriates, or international students.Residency Duration: Participants must have resided in the Netherlands for at least 12 months to ensure that they have encountered meaningful acculturation-related challenges.Migration-Related Distress: Participants must report at least mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety (DASS-21[1] Anxiety = 10) and/or depression (DASS-21 Depression = 14), which they explicitly associate with post-migration or acculturation-related stressors (e.g., cultural exclusion, loneliness, language barriers). This ensures that participants are experiencing subclinical psychological difficulties relevant to the aims of the study and the application of EMDR to small-t trauma (adverse life experiences that do not meet the diagnostic threshold for PTSD).Language Proficiency: Participants must possess sufficient proficiency in English to participate meaningfully in the assessments and therapeutic sessions.Voluntary Participation: Participants must provide active informed consent and must be willing to be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving eight sessions of culturally adapted EMDR), psychoeducation, or the wait-list control group. [1] DASS-21 subscale scores will be computed on the 0–42 scale (standard ×2 scoring). Thresholds correspond to mild–moderate or higher (Anxiety =10; Depression =14)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Severe psychiatric disorders: Individuals with a current or past diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or active suicidal ideation requiring immediate clinical intervention will be excluded, as EMDR may not be suitable or safe in such cases without specialized psychiatric oversight.Substance dependence: Participants with active substance dependence or severe addiction issues will be excluded due to potential interference with emotional regulation and therapy engagement.Ongoing psychological treatment for trauma: Individuals currently receiving trauma-focused psychotherapy (e.g., EMDR, TF-CBT) elsewhere will be excluded to avoid overlapping therapeutic interventions and confounding effects.Cognitive impairments: Individuals with severe cognitive impairments, neurodevelopmental disorders, or traumatic brain injuries that may hinder comprehension of study materials or participation in therapy will be excluded.Language barriers: Participants who do not possess sufficient English language proficiency will be excluded to ensure ethical and effective participation.Forced displacement status: Individuals with a legal status based on forced displacement—such as refugees, asylum seekers, or individuals with pending asylum applications—will be excluded.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Acculturation stress | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Depression, anxiety, stress, self-efficacy, perceived social support | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Contacts
Public ContactD Kubilay
Universiteit Utrecht
Outcome results
None listed