Evaluation of the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents in Ukraine during war
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents living under ongoing war conditions in Ukraine.
Article Abstract
“Background: In Ukraine, an entire generation of children is directly or indirectly affected by chronic exposure to potentially traumatic events due to the ongoing war, and many children may develop trauma-related disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was implemented for therapists treating children and adolescents in Ukraine. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of this evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents living amid ongoing war.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents living under ongoing war conditions in Ukraine.
Methods: EMDR for Children and Adolescents (C&A) is implemented in Ukraine by EMDR C&A trainers from three European countries (the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy), who trained Ukrainian therapists. Outcome data from N = 151 children and adolescents (62.9% female, M = 10.87 years; SD = 4.34, range 1–17) treated by n = 32 therapists have been analysed. Children and parents completed the CATS-2 to measure self – and caregiver-reported symptoms of PTSD before and after treatment. The data collection period occurred from June 2023 to January 2025.
Results: At the end of treatment, the patients reported significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with large pre-post effect sizes for DSM-5 PTSD (d self-report = 1.83; d caregiver report = 1.93), ICD-11 PTSD (d self-report = 1.62; d caregiver report = 1.57), ICD-11 CPTSD (d self-report = 1.63; d caregiver report = 1.74), and DSM-5 pre-school PTSD (d = 1.72).
Conclusions: Despite the methodological limitations of this study, the results suggest that EMDR can be delivered effectively to children and adolescents in regions impacted by ongoing war. Future studies should replicate these findings and evaluate the effects of EMDR during war conditions using a randomised controlled design.
Highlights
- This study suggests that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy can significantly reduce trauma-related symptoms in children and adolescents living amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
- The research provides promising preliminary indications that evidence-based psychological interventions may help reduce PTSD symptoms during ongoing conflict, though controlled studies are needed to establish their efficacy in such settings.
- The findings underscore the urgent need for accessible trauma-focused mental health care for young people affected by war and humanitarian crises.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Beer, R., Garbade, M., Keßler, A., Verardo, A. R., Niederhuber, P., Uralova, O., Sachser, C., & Pfeiffer, E. (2026). Evaluation of the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents in Ukraine during war. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 17(1), 2713259. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2026.2713259(opens in new tab)
Date
August 24, 2026
Creator(s)
Renée Beer, Maike Garbade, Anna Keßler
Contributor(s)
Anna Rita Verardo, Peter Niederhuber, Olga Uralova, Cedric Sachser, Elisa Pfeiffer
Topics
Tragedies
Client Population
Adolescents, Children, Racial/Cultural/Ethnic Groups
Extent
10 pages
Publisher
Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Rights
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
APA Citation
Beer, R., Garbade, M., Keßler, A., Verardo, A. R., Niederhuber, P., Uralova, O., Sachser, C., & Pfeiffer, E. (2026). Evaluation of the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents in Ukraine during war. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 17(1), 2713259. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2026.2713259
Audience
EMDR Therapists
Language
English, Spanish
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
