This study was designed as a pilot randomized controlled trial with pre-test and post-test assessments. Participants were adults aged 18 to 65 years who experienced the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and lost at least one loved or close person due to the earthquakes.
A total of 78 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=39) or control group (n=39). The intervention consisted of three 60-minute individual EMDR Grief Protocol sessions. The sessions addressed past memories related to the loss, current triggers and difficulties in daily functioning, and future situations associated with adapting to life following the loss. The control group received no intervention during the study period.
Traumatic grief symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and emotional processing difficulties were assessed before and after the intervention using the Traumatic Grief Inventory-Self Report (TGI-SR), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25), respectively.
