Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology

Efficacy of EMDR Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

2025-11-06T03:50:51Z

Efficacy of EMDR Therapy in the Treatment of Depression Sultana, Mariyam Eye movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is well established treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders. The literature review emphasizes that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is also effective in treating depression, making it a promising intervention for mental health challenges. Among Bangladeshi population the prevalence of depression is 57.9%. The effectiveness of EMDR Therapy within the context of Bangladeshi culture stays underexplored. This gap in knowledge is a core motivation for investigating the efficacy of EMDR therapy in treating patients with depression in Bangladesh. The Current Research purpose is to investigate whether EMDR Therapy is effective in treating clients with Depression And also to Compare EMDR with CBT and TA as comparative approaches to see whether they are equally effective in treating Depression clients. To collect data the convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used. In this study 21clients participated in total. Among 21 participants, 9 were receiving EMDR therapy, 6 were receiving CBT and 6 were receiving TA. A total of 16 Therapists participated for data collection from clients and for providing data (both Quantitative & Qualitative data) to researcher. Informed Consent was taken from participants and therapists. In data collection purpose researcher was also included in EMDR therapy group and TA group. The 3 groups were assessed with Bangla PHQ-9 scale and Bangla Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). The scales were applied with clients in 1st, 3rd and 6th session with every participant. The Result shows The EMDR group had a continuous decrement of depression over time, and the CBT and TA groups had a high but sometimes irregular pattern in reducing depression. EMDR reduced depression to the greatest extent, CBT reduced depression to the second greatest extent, and TA reduced EFFICACY OF EMDR THERAPY ON DEPRESSION XIII depression to the least extent. As a result, the findings appear to be utilized for treatment purposes in psychotherapy for depression and for future research. This study confirms previous studies about Depression treatment with EMDR therapy to some extent although it has some different outcomes adjacent with Bangladeshi culture and perspectives. This thesis is submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy.

DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A PARENTING INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE MOTHER-CHILD INTERACTION IN UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES IN BANGLADESH

2025-02-09T08:02:41Z

DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A PARENTING INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE MOTHER-CHILD INTERACTION IN UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES IN BANGLADESH Ferdowshi, Nafiza Bangladesh is a developing country with approximately 165 million inhabitants (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics [BBS], 2018). Among this huge population, nearly 14.8% are living below the international poverty line (The World Bank, 2019) and 71.2% of women are literate (BBS, 2018). Research indicates that the quality of mother-child interactions has an immense impact on children‟s development and educational outcomes (Mihelic et al., 2017; UNICEF Bangladesh, 2010). The main objective of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of the International Child Development Program (ICDP) in order to enhance the quality of mother-child interaction for disadvantaged families in Bangladesh. More specifically, this study addressed five research questions; these were as follows: (i) Does engagement in an 8 week parenting intervention increase mothers‟ feelings of competence as a parent? (ii) Does participation in the intervention produce significant improvements in parenting practices? (iii) Does engagement in the intervention show significant improvements in mother-child positive interaction? (iv)What changes are found in the mothers‟ conception of their children due to attend the intervention? (v) What characteristics distinguishes mothers who benefitted the most from the intervention from those who benefitted the least? The ICDP is non-instructive, designed to identify and reactivate local cultural parenting practices and to improve positive parent-child interaction (Hundeide, 2010). A mixed method design was used combining a single-blinded, randomised wait-listed control group trial with qualitative observations and interviews. One conveniently selected slum area was used where five intervention and five wait-listed control groups were formed. A total of 100 mothers participated in the intervention with random assignment to intervention (n=50) and wait-listed control groups (n=50). The inclusion criteria were that (i) participating families had a child aged one to three years; (ii) the PARENTING INTERVENTION IN UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES Page iv mothers would be primary caregivers; and (iii) mothers had no prior experience of attending any parenting intervention programs. Intervention and wait-listed control groups had received the ICDP‟s 8-week two hourly centre-based group sessions. Along with a demographic questionnaire, measures were included the parenting sense of competence scale (PSOC), the parenting subscale of the parenting and family adjustment scale (PAFAS), the infant-toddler version of the home observation for the measurement of the environment (IT-HOME), the 6-item observation rating scale (ORS) of positive interaction, the observational guide for identifying mothers‟ caregiving qualities, and the semi-structured interview guides. All participants were assessed at two points of time: Pre-test and post-test. In addition, intervention experience related interviews were completed at post-intervention. A log book was used to keep all the records during intervention implementation. Daily session of the intervention was measured by an observational measure and a semi-structured feedback interview. Ethical issues were cautiously considered for data collection phases. Quantitative data were analysed through SPSS software using chi-square and MANOVAs whereas qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis. This study findings indicated the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of both quantitative and qualitative data. Preliminary analyses of the study found that some of the sub-scales of three widely used measures, that is PSOC, PAFAS, and IT-HOME, were discarded from the main analyses due to their low reliability scores. The findings of main analyses identified that mothers‟ parental efficacy, parent-child relationship, and emotional and verbal responsivity were more important in promoting mother-child positive interaction for disadvantaged families of Bangladesh. Findings also showed a noticeable changes in mothers‟ parental satisfaction, coercive practices, maternal invlovement, and mediated interaction after receiving ICDP intervention. In consistent with quantitative findings, the qualitative observational analyses identified that all eight ICDP themes of positive mother-child interaction were more practiced in the intervention group mothers than in the wait-listed control mothers. A remarkable change was reported in the mothers‟ conception towards children measure between intervention and wait-listed control group. Findings revealed that children‟s motor abilities, socio-emotional relationship, and cognitive functioning were more exploring positive conceptions of the child to the intervention mothers. In contrast, control group mothers PARENTING INTERVENTION IN UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES Page v more focused on negative conceptions of the child in terms of aggressive and non-compliant behaviour and less emphasised on children‟s abilities. Mothers‟ experience of the intervention also found ICDP‟s main concepts of positive interaction that categorised as maternal sensitivity to the child, positive attitude towards child, talk to the child, maternal mediation, and self-regulation. Overall, intervention experience of the mothers highlighted the caregiving qualities of mothers, learning aspects from the intervention, and parenting practices that changed after attending the ICDP intervention. This research also presented individual case studies to demonstrate the changes that occurred for the mothers in terms of their parenting practices. The mothers were selected as case studies from the intervention groups based on their responses on the quantitative and qualitative measures. By critically scrutinising data, the researcher found 12 cases who improved, 18 cases who did not change substantially, and 7 cases who did not improve from the intervention. Finally, the researcher selected six mothers who benefitted most and another five mothers who did not appear to benefit from the intervention. The individual case study analysis highlighted a comparative and deeper understanding of the mothers‟ perceived benefits from the intervention in terms of their living condition, family income, family type, and performance in the intervention. In summary, the broader view of the findings indicated the partial effectiveness of the intervention from which some mothers were benefitted whereas some were not benefitted from the intervention due to the mothers‟ poor educational background, disadvantaged living conditions, self-reported measures, and lower cognitive functioning while answering the questionnaires. The strengths and weaknesses of this study were included along with its future implications in policy making and capacity building of promising practitioners. Disseminating the knowledge of positive mother-child inteaction on a larger scale would be helpful for underprivileged as well as privileged mothers and other caregivers to promote advanced parenting practices and developmental outcomes of the children. A dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at the University of Dhaka

Nonviolent communication as an intervention for anxiety and depression among adults.

2025-02-06T06:11:24Z

Nonviolent communication as an intervention for anxiety and depression among adults. Naher, Roufun The purpose of this study was exploring the impact of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) intervention on the quality of life of the individuals with anxiety and depression. The specific objectives included exploring the nature of anxiety and depression experienced by participants, assessing the acceptability of NVC intervention for individuals with anxiety and depression, and examining the influence of NVC intervention on managing anxiety and depression in their daily lives. The research involved 10 Bangladeshi adult participants with mild to severe anxiety and/or depression, selected through purposive sampling. The study employed a qualitative design, and participants underwent both individual and group NVC intervention sessions, including six group sessions and a minimum of six individual sessions. The data was collected using the in-depth interview method, and thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. The findings have been compartmentalized into three sections based on the specific objectives of this research. The initial section presents themes and sub-themes related to the nature of anxiety and depression experienced by the participants. The findings indicate that participants underwent various adverse life experiences that impacted their emotional regulation, daily functioning, self-perception, and relationships. The second section covers themes and sub-themes regarding the acceptability of NVC intervention for the individuals experiencing anxiety and depression. Results from this section reveal that participants welcomed and embraced NVC intervention through both individual and group sessions, positively affecting their quality of life. This leads to the third section of the research, focusing on the impact of the intervention. The themes and sub-themes in this section disclose that NVC intervention alleviated symptoms of anxiety and depression, fostering self-awareness, selfmanagement, improved interpersonal communication, enhanced self-efficacy, and instilled vi hope for applying Nonviolent Communication principles. Nevertheless, it was observed that participants with dependent personality traits, profound distress, and physical illnesses found the intervention challenging to implement. The comprehensive results derived from this study indicate that Nonviolent Communication serves as a well-received and efficacious instrument in effectively addressing both anxiety and depression. This implies that the application of Nonviolent Communication can play a significant role in providing effective support and coping mechanisms for individuals dealing with anxiety and depression. This Dissertation is submitted to the Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Dhaka as Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Educational and Counselling Psychology.

Effects of Stabilization Techniques in Managing Psychological Distress

2025-02-04T09:22:19Z

Effects of Stabilization Techniques in Managing Psychological Distress Banu, Sadeka Study shows that psychological distress is a prevalent issue in Bangladesh, with a significant portion of the population experiencing mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress, trauma and PTSD etc (GBD, 2017; WHO, 2020; Banna, et al., 2020; Cai et al., 2021; Rozario & Islam, 2022; Riaz, Islam, Ahmed, et al, 2023; Chowdhury, 2023). Based on the research gap and the potential benefits of stabilization techniques with bilateral stimulation (BLS), the present study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of stabilization techniques (with and without BLS) in managing psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and their effects on self-esteem and mental well-being among the Bangladeshi citizens. Thus, to provide valuable insights about the effectiveness of stabilization techniques, the current study aimed to- a) investigate the effectiveness of stabilization techniques in managing psychological distress such as depression, anxiety and stress of adult population b) examine the effectiveness of stabilization techniques on self-esteem and mental well-being, c) compare the effectiveness of stabilization techniques with and without BLS in managing psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress), d) examine the impact of stabilization techniques on psychological distress regarding different demographic variables such as gender, educational level and age, e) investigate the effectiveness of the stabilization techniques (with and without BLS) through online platform, f) inquire about the stabilization technique practices in Bangladesh of EMDR therapy practitioners and g) provide recommendation for the integration of stabilization techniques with and without BLS in clinical practices. A sample of 61 took part in this present study. The samples were collected through the purposive sampling technique. Among the 61 participants 54 were received counselling session and rest of the 7 took part xiii in in-depth interviews. The 54 participants were divided into two groups-Treatment group-1 (with BLS) consisted of 25 participants who received counselling sessions using BLS and Treatment group-2 (without BLS) comprised of another 29 participants and they received counselling sessions without BLS. The 9 out of 54 participants attended online counselling services, 4 were in Treatment group-1 and 5 participated in Treatment group-2. The 3 counsellors used abdominal breathing and container exercises for both with and without BLS group as common techniques. The rest of the four tools (Grounding Technique, Inner Garden, Resource Team Exercise and Healing Light) implemented with BLS in Treatment group-1 (with BLS group) through eye-movements and butterfly hug techniques and for the Treatment group-2 (without BLS group) these tools were administered without BLS. The researcher collected data 3 times (pre-test, post-test and follow-up test) from the total 54 participants using Bangla Warwick Edinburg Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) (Rahman & Islam, 2013), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Bangla Version, (DASS 21V) (Alim et al., 2016), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and Guidelines for In-depth Interviews (IDIs) and 7 in-depth interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data with 7 EMDR practitioners. One-way repeated measurement ANOVA, Post hoc comparison using Bonferroni correction, t-test, Cohen’s d size effect, Kruskal Wali's test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed within the scope of the research were carried out using SPSS 27 (IBM, 2021) for quantitative and thematic analysis for qualitative data analysis. The results showed that stabilization techniques were statistically significant in managing psychological distresses (depression F (1.301, 67.654) =131.555, p<.001, partial eta squared = 0.717; anxiety F (1.503, 78.178) = 209.616, p<.001, partial eta squared = 0.801; and stress F (1.503, 89.808) = 212.163, p < .001, partial eta squared = 0.801.) and xiv increasing self-esteem and well-being (self-esteem F (1.586, 82.497) =100.412, p<.001, partial eta squared = 0.659 and mental well-being F (1.429, 74.310) =210.926, p<.001, partial eta squared = 0.802) of the study participants. Furthermore, the pairwise comparison among the psychological distresses (depression, anxiety and stress) and time (pre, post and follow-up test) evident statistically significant differences too. The results showed that during post and follow-up test all the groups size effects are large and medium only self-esteem has small size effects. The results also revealed that stabilization techniques with BLS is more effective than without BLS. The study did not find any significant differences among gender, age and educational level regarding stress and depression. Only in case of anxiety, significant differences ((M=15.00, SD=8.587) p<.05) were found for the age range of 26-35 years. The result showed that stabilization techniques through the online platform was also significant and their partial eta squared was from medium to large. In addition to this, the Mann-Whitney U test statistics for both online with and without BLS and for post and follow-up were greater than .05 except for the self-esteem post and anxiety follow-up scores. Therefore, no significant differences were found between online with and without BLS but during post-test of self-esteem and follow-up test of anxiety with BLS is more effective than without BLS. The qualitative data highlights the positive effects and applicability of stabilization techniques. Measures should be taken to incorporate stabilization techniques in daily clinical practices, to provide more training for mental health professionals and to conducted related research for ensuring evidence-based ethical practices and thus, contribute to bring a positive change in mental health sector of Bangladesh. A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy (M. Phil) in Counselling Psychology in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at the University of Dhaka