Psychological problems and post-traumatic stress disorders in Italian university students during the first lockdown from Covid-19 and online EMDR therapy

Journal title MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA
Author/s Giulia Savarese, Daniela D’Elia, Nadia Pecoraro, Lugi Curcio, Oreste Fasano, Monica Mollo
Publishing Year 2021 Issue 2021/2
Language Italian Pages 19 P. 63-81 File size 266 KB
DOI 10.3280/MAL2021-002005
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The literature has highlighted psychological disorders during the Covid-19 lockdown. A research was conducted with 49 students who contacted the Psychological Counseling Center of the University of Salerno between March and May 2020. The objectives were: a) to investigate the psychological disorders and in particular of PTSD; b) evaluate the effec-tiveness of a short course with online EMDR protocol for those students with PTSD linked to the reactivation of previous trauma following pandemic stress and lockdown. The data collected in the pre and post treatment phase (with psychological interview and the SCL-90-R Scale scoring) show: PTSD (25%), anxiety and stress (100%), depression (88%). In post-EMDR treatment, a reduction in cut-offs from clinical to regulatory range was highlighted on the IES-R Scale and at SCL-90-R scale a shift from clinically significant scores on the syndromic scale to normative scores. In particular, on the SCL-90-R Scale, the score on the Global Severity Index-GSI, a global indicator of the current intensitu of psychic distress perceived by the subject, confirms, in the post-test, the achievement of a regulatory clinical framework.

Keywords: Covid-19, psychological counseling, college students, psychological disorders, PTSD, EMDR

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Giulia Savarese, Daniela D’Elia, Nadia Pecoraro, Lugi Curcio, Oreste Fasano, Monica Mollo, Problematiche psicologiche e disturbi da stress post-traumatico in studenti universitari italiani durante il primo lockdown da Covid-19 e terapia EMDR online in "MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA" 2/2021, pp 63-81, DOI: 10.3280/MAL2021-002005