The efficacy of eyemovement desensitization and reprocessing on the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery

According to the studies, cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in iran. Some patients suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after surgery. Desensitization treatment with eye movements and reprocessing can lead to a significant improvement in the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has been done on the effect of this treatment on the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the research community.

This study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of desensitization treatment with eye movements and reprocessing on the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery.

This study is a pre-test, and post-test design with a control group, and the statistical population is patients who were referred to Tehran Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic 4-6 weeks after coronary bypass surgery. Among these, a sample of 40 people was placed in 2 intervention and control groups by random sampling, and the assessment of people was based on the revised Weiss and Marmer impact of event scale in three stages: pre-test, post-test and follow-up (after six months) was done in both groups. Analysis of variance with intergroup repeated measurement was also used for data analysis.

Statistical analysis shows that the desensitization treatment with eye movements and reprocessing leads to a significant reduction in the variables of avoidance, hyperarousal and unwanted thoughts (P≤ 0.001), and its effect was sustained until the end of the six-month follow-up period.

According to the present study, desensitization treatment with eye movements and reprocessing using exposure and reprocessing of the traumatic event reduces the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in cardiovascular patients. It is recommended to conduct studies with more samples.