Page 25 - Post-traumatic stress disorder in adults with mild intellectual disability: Screening, assessment, and brief intensive EMDR therapy

General introduction
decreases in PTSD symptoms and daily life impairment were observed in
children and parents. Additionally, parents showed a significant reduction
in general psychopathology and parenting stress after the intervention.
Despite these encouraging findings in children, adolescents, and their
families, the sample sizes and the number of studies on the effectiveness
of intensive EMDR therapy in adults with MID-BIF and severe behavioural
problems remain small, making it difficult to generalize the findings. This
dissertation aims to address this gap by investigating whether similar
positive outcomes can be achieved in this adult population (Chapter 4).
Clients’ experiences with intensive trauma-focused treatment
While initial evidence suggests that intensive trauma-focused treatment
may be effective for individuals with MID-BIF, little is known about how they
experience such treatment. A few studies have explored the experiences of
individuals in the general population, indicating that they perceive intensive
trauma-focused treatment as safe (Butler & Ramsey-Wade, 2024) and,
although demanding, worthwhile due to significant reductions in trauma
symptoms (Thoresen et al., 2022). Therapist rotation is also positively
evaluated in this population and is considered beneficial for treatment
effectiveness (Van Minnen et al., 2018).
Although research in this area is still limited for individuals with MID-
BIF. Further research is needed to understand how adults with MID-BIF
experience the intensity of trauma-focused treatment and the use of
rotating therapists, a topic addressed in Chapter 5 of this dissertation.
Aims and outline of this dissertation
The four main aims of this dissertation are as follows: first, to further
examine the psychometric properties of the adult version of the DITS-ID;
second, to develop and evaluate a PTSD screener for adults with MID-
BIF; third, to investigate the effectiveness of brief intensive EMDR therapy
for adults with MID-BIF and severe behavioural problems; and fourth, to
explore the experiences of individuals with MID-BIF and severe behavioural
problems who received this treatment. These aims serve a broader goal
of improving the identification, diagnostic assessment, and treatment of
PTSD in adults with MID-BIF.
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