Summaries for 12 EMDR Controlled Studies with Children
Ahmad, A., Larsson, B., & Sundelin-Wahlsten, V. (2007). EMDR treatment for children with PTSD: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 61, 349–354. — 33 children were randomized into an EMDR group (17) or waitlist group (16) following an explosion in Sweden. PTSD was significantly lower for the EMDR group following 8 treatment sessions compared to the waitlist group.
Chemtob, C. M., Nakashima, J., & Carlson, J. G. (2002). Brief treatment for elementary school children with disaster-related PTSD: A field study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 99–112. — 32 children in Hawaii with hurricane-related PTSD who had not responded to treatment 2½ years earlier achieved significant improvement with EMDR.
De Roos, C., Greenwald, R., den Hollander-Gijsm, M., Noorthoorn, E., van Buuren, S., & de Jongh, A. (2011). A randomized comparison of EMDR and cognitive behavioural therapy. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2, 5694–704. — 38 children in the Netherlands were treated for PTSD following a natural disaster. The EMDR and CBT groups achieved comparable gains, with the EMDR group reaching gains in fewer sessions.
De Roos, C., van der Oord, S., Zijlstra, B., Lucassen, S., Perrin, S., Emmelkamp, P., & De Jongh, A. (2017). Comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, cognitive behavioral writing therapy, and wait-list in pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder following single-incident trauma: A multicenter randomized clinical trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58, 1219–1228. — Children with single-incident trauma PTSD in the Netherlands were randomized into EMDR (n=43), CBT (n=42), and waitlist (n=17) groups. Both treatments achieved significant improvements maintained at follow-up. EMDR achieved gains in significantly less time.
Diehle, J., Opmeer, B. C., Boer, F., Mannarino, A. P., & Lindauer, R. J. (2014). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: What works in children with posttraumatic stress symptoms? A randomized controlled trial. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24, 227–236. — 48 children in the Netherlands with posttraumatic stress symptoms were randomized into EMDR and TF-CBT groups. Both groups received 8 sessions and achieved significant improvement. Parents reported decreases in comorbid symptoms of hyperactivity and depression.
Jaberghaderi, N., Greenwald, R., Rubin, A., Dolatabadim, S., & Zand, S. (2004). A comparison of CBT and EMDR for sexually abused Iranian girls. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 11, 358–368. — 14 girls in Iran with PTSD following sexual abuse were randomized into CBT and EMDR groups. Both achieved significant treatment effects. EMDR was more efficient.
Kemp, M., Drummond, P., & McDermott, B. (2010). A wait-list controlled pilot study of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from motor vehicle accidents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15, 5–25. — 27 children in Australia with PTSD following car accidents were randomized into EMDR and waitlist control groups. EMDR showed significant improvement over the waitlist control in 4 sessions.
Namazi, S., Hakimaton, Mokhtar, M. B. H., Ghani, M. S., & Tashk, M. (2013). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing among Iranian children with post traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychological Models and Methods, 3(11), 99–112. — 26 children in Iran were randomly assigned to EMDR, CBT, and waitlist groups for PTSD following an earthquake. Both the EMDR and CBT groups showed significant improvement over the waitlist group.
Soberman, G. B., Greenwald, R., & Rule, D. L. (2002). A controlled study of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for boys with conduct problems. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 6, 217–236. — 29 boys in New York received standard treatment. Half were randomized into a group that received 3 additional EMDR sessions. The EMDR group showed significant improvement over the standard treatment group.
Wadaa, N. N., Zaharim, N. M., & Alqashan, H. F. (2010). The use of EMDR in treatment of traumatized Iraqi children. Digest of Middle East Studies, 19(1), 26–36. — Child immigrants from Iraq to Malaysia were randomized into EMDR (n=12) and no-treatment control (n=27) groups. The EMDR group achieved significant improvement over the control group.
Wanders, F., Serra, M., & de Jongh, A. (2008). EMDR versus CBT for children with self-esteem and behavioral problems: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 2, 180–189. — 26 children in the Netherlands with self-esteem and behavioral problems were randomized into EMDR and CBT groups. Both groups achieved significant improvement. Self-reported improvements were larger in the EMDR group.
Zucchetti, G., Ciappina, S., Roccia, E., Concas, D., Giordano, M., Battaglini, C., Geuna, T., Peirolo, C., Faretta, E., Fernandez, I., Quarello, P., & Fagiolo, F. (2024). EMDR and standard psychotherapy for paediatric cancer patients and their families: A pilot study. Frontiers in Psychology.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1407985 — 40 children in Italy were randomly assigned to EMDR and standard psychotherapy groups. Both treatments (8 sessions) were effective in reducing traumatic stress, but the EMDR group showed significantly greater improvements on the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale.
EMDR as an evidence-based trauma treatment for both children and adults is endorsed by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, the World Health Organization, the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, and the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
For a full listing of controlled and non-controlled studies with children and adults across a wide variety of symptoms and disorders, as well as studies on the EMDR group protocol, visit The EMDR Institute at emdr.com.
