Studies of Adolescents at Risk

• Breaking the Cycle of Violence by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., 10/26/97
  
  

An exciting study by Scheck, Schaeffer and Gillete is in press in the Journal of Traumatic Stress. The following is a paraphase of the abstract:

The subjects were high-risk females presenting in a community agency (e.g., prostitutes, pregnant teens, drug addicts, etc.). It has been found that providing mental health services to this group is often hindered by their unstable lifestyles, however psychological dysfunction is a major issue. Sixty females, between 16 and 25 years old, approximately two-thirds who had PTSD, were randomly assigned to EMDR and an active reflective listening (ARL) control. Pre-post effect sizes for the EMDR group averaged 1.47 compared to the 0.64 effect size in the ARL group. Measures used included the Beck Depression scale , State Anxiety, Tennessee Self-Concept, Penn PTSD, and IES. Since over 90% of the subjects reported childhood abuse, these statistically and clinically significant findings , after only two sessions, provide added incentive for trying to locate funding for pilot projects in the inner cities.

Another study, by Purna Datta, Ph.D. also found clinically significant results in a study of adolescent males who were institutionalized for sexual offenses. The report indicated that three sessions of EMDR resulted in less disturbance, greater sense of cognitive control, and that after treatment, the subject felt greater empathy towards the victim. This is also very encouraging to the global vision that EMDR can assist in stopping the cycle of violence and abuse worldwide.

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