Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40355292›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Scoping review protocol of the use of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing in the treatment of birth trauma.

Susan O'Donovan, Laura Ward, Ruth Melia

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Susan O'DonovanDepartment of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland odonovan.susan@ul.ie.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-2453-1092
Laura WardUniversity of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Ruth MeliaHealth Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1152-5510

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionA traumatic childbirth can have severe negative effects on the mental health of the mother and can negatively impact the child and partner. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychological intervention used to treat symptoms of trauma. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for antenatal and postnatal mental health recommend that trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or EMDR should be offered to women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from a traumatic birth. However, the use of EMDR for birth trauma has not been clearly outlined in the literature.

objectivesThe aim of this scoping review is to explore the extent of the currently available research and to identify knowledge gaps in the use of EMDR for treating birth trauma. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines will be followed to provide a comprehensive scoping review of the use of EMDR for birth trauma. Several databases will be searched, such as PsychInfo, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL, from the date the database was developed, until approximately August 2026. The grey literature sources will also be searched, and searches will be limited to include studies written in the English language. Two researchers will independently screen and extract data from both quantitative and qualitative studies, which meet the inclusion criteria. Data will be analysed in a descriptive and thematic manner. Data extraction may include study characteristics, data collection procedures, outcomes and results. Findings will be presented in tabular and narrative formats. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical Approval is not necessary for this review, as only secondary data will be used. It is expected that the review will be disseminated at psychological conferences and in relevant journal articles. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This scoping review protocol has been registered on Open Science Framework. The registration DOI is: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UJZ52.

Indexed as

Eye Movement Desensitization ReprocessingParturitionStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticFemaleHumansPregnancyResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicMENTAL HEALTHMidwiferyPostpartum WomenPSYCHIATRYPsychological StressPsychosocial Intervention

Identifiers

PMID40355292
PMCPMC12083268

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.