Abstract:
Themainpurpose of study was to examine the effectiveness of eidetic psychotherapy on PTSD symptomsamong children. Lack of literature on the effectiveness of eidetic psychotherapy for treating children with PTSD symptoms became the motivation to conduct this study. Furthermoreit also investigates the difference of PTSD symptoms between different natures of trauma.Permission was taken from orphanages authorities of Rawalpindi. Written consent from the authority of orphanage was taken. Confidentiality of information provided by orphanage membersand children were ensured. Initially, pilot study was conducted on the sample of 4 children(n=4). Results of the pilot study showed that eidetic psychotherapy was effective for treatingchildren with PTSD symptoms and there will be no potential risk for the conduction of mainstudy. Sample size of main study was comprised of 18 participants, both boys (n=4) and girls (n=14), selected through a purposive sampling technique. Age range of the children was 11-16years. The instrument Child PTSD Symptoms Scale (CPSS-SR-5, Foa, Feeny & Treadwell, 2001) used to screen out the level of PTSD symptoms in participants. The reliability of the test was highly significant (alpha reliability; .81). The results section divided into qualitative and quantitative analysis. Paired sample t-test result indicated statistically significance reduction in thePTSD symptoms of children (p=<0. 01). Eidetic psychotherapy is highly effective for treating children with PTSD symptoms. Independent t-test result indicated that there was no significant difference between PTSD symptoms of natural and manmade trauma. For analyzing the result qualitatively thematic analysis was conducted per case study. As sample was selected from orphanages of Rawalpindi, we cannot generalize findings of the study on other areas of Pakistan due to differences attributed to geographical contexts. Lack of literature to support of findings is another limitation of the study. Eidetic psychotherapy is relatively new concept so researches on x multiple levels are the huge need of time. Effectiveness of eidetic psychotherapy should be studies for treating other mental health disorders including anxiety disorders, depression and psychosis etc. Comparative studies should be done while comparing the efficacy of eidetic psychotherapywith other therapeutic approaches for treating PTSD.
