Background and Aims: Numerous studies have found psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic [1,2], especially among university students [3]. In Italy, high levels of anxiety and stress, concentration disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychosomatic disorders have been detected among university students [4]. This study aimed to a) investigate the psychological situation, particularly regarding PTSD, in Italian university students during the first COVID-19 lockdown and b) evaluate the effectiveness of the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) online. Methods: During the first COVID-19 lockdown, 49 students were cared for at the Psychological Counseling Center of the University of Salerno. Of these, three students (named below N_1,2,3) had traumatic histories (T), which represented a strong trigger, prior to the pandemic. The taking charge protocol included a socio-personal data sheet, an ad-hoc structured interview, and the administration of tests pre-and-post treatment (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) [5]; Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) [6]). Results: An analysis of the results in the pre-treatment phase revealed indices of PTSD (25%), anxiety and stress (100%), and depression (88%). In the post-treatment phase, the indices of the IES-R showed decreased cut-off scores from the clinical to regulatory range. Particularly, the value of the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R decreased in the regulatory range. Conclusions: Our post-treatment EMDR results revealed decreased clinical symptoms in the SCL-90-R and a normalization of the scores in the IES-R towards the regulatory ranges for PTSD symptoms, which confirmed the efficacy of the therapy online. References [1] Salari N, Hosseinian-Far A, Jalali R, Vaisi-Raygani A, Rasoulpoor S, Mohammadi M, Rasoulpoor S, Khaledi-Paveh B. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Health. 2020 Jul 6;16(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s12992-020-00589-w. [2] Xiong J, Lipsitz O, Nasri F, Lui LMW, Gill H, Phan L, Chen-Li D, Iacobucci M, Ho R, Majeed A, McIntyre RS. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2020 Dec 1;277:55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001. Epub 2020 Aug 8. [3] Kar, N., Kar, B., & Kar, S. (2021). Stress and coping during COVID-19 pandemic: Result of an online survey. Psychiatry research, 295, 113598. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113598 [4] Savarese, G., Curcio, L., D’Elia, D., Fasano, O., & Pecoraro, N. (2020). Online University Counselling Services and Psychological Problems among Italian Students in Lockdown Due to Covid-19. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(4), 440. doi: 10.3390/healthcare8040440. [5] Derogatis, L. R. (1975). Scl-90-R. NY: Johns Hopkins University. [6] Sundin, E. C., & Horowitz, M. J. (2002). Impact of Event Scale: psychometric properties. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(3), 205-209. doi: 10.1192/bjp.180.3.205 Abstract topic: psychological counseling, university students, COVID-19 pandemic, online EMDR therapy, psychological vulnerability.

Online effectiveness of EMDR treatment: the experience of the Psychological Counseling Center of University of Salerno

D'Elia D.;Savarese G.;Carpinelli L.;Pecoraro N.
2022-01-01

Abstract

Background and Aims: Numerous studies have found psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic [1,2], especially among university students [3]. In Italy, high levels of anxiety and stress, concentration disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychosomatic disorders have been detected among university students [4]. This study aimed to a) investigate the psychological situation, particularly regarding PTSD, in Italian university students during the first COVID-19 lockdown and b) evaluate the effectiveness of the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) online. Methods: During the first COVID-19 lockdown, 49 students were cared for at the Psychological Counseling Center of the University of Salerno. Of these, three students (named below N_1,2,3) had traumatic histories (T), which represented a strong trigger, prior to the pandemic. The taking charge protocol included a socio-personal data sheet, an ad-hoc structured interview, and the administration of tests pre-and-post treatment (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) [5]; Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) [6]). Results: An analysis of the results in the pre-treatment phase revealed indices of PTSD (25%), anxiety and stress (100%), and depression (88%). In the post-treatment phase, the indices of the IES-R showed decreased cut-off scores from the clinical to regulatory range. Particularly, the value of the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R decreased in the regulatory range. Conclusions: Our post-treatment EMDR results revealed decreased clinical symptoms in the SCL-90-R and a normalization of the scores in the IES-R towards the regulatory ranges for PTSD symptoms, which confirmed the efficacy of the therapy online. References [1] Salari N, Hosseinian-Far A, Jalali R, Vaisi-Raygani A, Rasoulpoor S, Mohammadi M, Rasoulpoor S, Khaledi-Paveh B. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Health. 2020 Jul 6;16(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s12992-020-00589-w. [2] Xiong J, Lipsitz O, Nasri F, Lui LMW, Gill H, Phan L, Chen-Li D, Iacobucci M, Ho R, Majeed A, McIntyre RS. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2020 Dec 1;277:55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001. Epub 2020 Aug 8. [3] Kar, N., Kar, B., & Kar, S. (2021). Stress and coping during COVID-19 pandemic: Result of an online survey. Psychiatry research, 295, 113598. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113598 [4] Savarese, G., Curcio, L., D’Elia, D., Fasano, O., & Pecoraro, N. (2020). Online University Counselling Services and Psychological Problems among Italian Students in Lockdown Due to Covid-19. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(4), 440. doi: 10.3390/healthcare8040440. [5] Derogatis, L. R. (1975). Scl-90-R. NY: Johns Hopkins University. [6] Sundin, E. C., & Horowitz, M. J. (2002). Impact of Event Scale: psychometric properties. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(3), 205-209. doi: 10.1192/bjp.180.3.205 Abstract topic: psychological counseling, university students, COVID-19 pandemic, online EMDR therapy, psychological vulnerability.
2022
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4798650
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