Abstract
Background: Itch, and thereby the scratching behavior, is a common complaint in
atopic dermatitis. Scratching damages the skin, which in turn worsens the itch. This
itch-scratch cycle perpetuates the skin condition and has a major impact on the
patient’s quality of life. In addition to pharmacological treatment, psychological
interventions show promising results in reducing scratching behavior.
Objectives: To investigate the eect of treatment according the EMDR treatment
protocol for urge on scratching behavior of atopic dermatitis patients in a
controlled study.
Methods: This study applies a multiple baseline across subjects design. Six
patients were randomly allocated to dierent baseline lengths and all of them
started registration of scratching behavior at the same day, using a mobile phone
application. Nocturnal scratching was registered by a smart watch application. The
total study duration was 46 days and was equal for all patients. Treatment consisted
of two sessions using the EMDR treatment protocol for urge. Furthermore,
standardized measures were used to assess disease activity, quality of life, and
self-control. The nonoverlap of all pairs eect size was calculated for the daily
measure data.
Results: One patient dropped out. Visual inspection suggests that the scratching
behavior decreased over time in all patients. Furthermore, a moderate eect size of
the treatment is found. During the baseline phase, scratching behavior fluctuated
considerably and showed a slight negative trend. Outcomes of disease activity
decreased over time and patients’ self-control and quality of life improved after
treatment. Nocturnal scratching behavior did not change after the intervention.
Conclusion: The results of the visual analysis of day time scratching behavior,
disease activity, quality of life, and self-control seem promising. These findings
pave the way for future research into the eect of the new intervention on other
skin conditions suering from scratching behavior, such as prurigo nodularis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1101935 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Medicine |
| Volume | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Apr 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was funded by Vereniging EMDR Nederland (VEN).
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