The War is Over, Now is Time to Recover: Diagnosis and Treatment of School-age Syrian Refugee Children’s Post-traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)

The project, developed and managed by Köksal Banoğlu (Principal Investigator), secured a grant of US$47,340 (HK$369,843) from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In recognition of its impactful outcomes, the project was awarded the Best Public Project by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Interior in 2019. The initiative was premised on the understanding that educational interventions for refugee children are unlikely to succeed unless their traumatic experiences and psychological resilience are first addressed. "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing" (EMDR) therapy, recommended by the World Health Organization for its effectiveness in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), was selected as the primary therapeutic approach. The project was structured around two main objectives: Objective 1: Diagnose PTSD. Objective 2: Enhance psychological resilience through EMDR. Results: The project identified a high prevalence of PTSD among Syrian refugee children, often accompanied by depression and reduced life satisfaction. Despite EMDR therapy’s proven efficacy in clinical settings, its application in mass casualty situations presents challenges in terms of cost and time efficiency. To address these issues, a group treatment protocol (EMDR-GP/C) was tested in a randomized controlled trial involving 61 Syrian refugee children aged 6-15. Results showed that the EMDR group had significantly lower trauma scores compared to the waiting list (F(1,58) = 4.72, p = .03). Depression scores were significantly reduced (F(1,17) = 8.67, p = .01), and well-being levels improved (F(1,58) = 6.58, p = .01). Significant effects were observed for time on PTSD symptoms (F(1,59) = 29.91, p < .001) and time-by-group interaction (F(1,59) = 4.61, p = .04). These findings indicate that EMDR-GP/C effectively reduces PTSD and depression symptoms while improving overall well-being, helping children integrate their traumatic experiences. Research output (Report): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2021.100241

Funding Source: Non-HK - Others^^