Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40879852›Full record

ArticleDiscover mental health2025

Effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing on intensity of primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial.

Sahar Valedi, Venus Chegini, Mohammad MoradiBaglooei, Mehdi Ranjbaran, Mark D Griffiths, Zainab Alimoradi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Discover mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Sahar ValediStudents Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Venus CheginiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Clinical Research Development Unit, Kowsar Hospital, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mohammad MoradiBaglooeiSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mehdi RanjbaranSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mark D GriffithsPsychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
Zainab AlimoradiSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. zainabalimoradi@yahoo.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA common disorder among women during reproductive age is dysmenorrhea. It has a chronic cyclic nature and a positive association with psychological distress.

aimThe aim of the present study was to determine the effect of desensitization based on eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on dysmenorrhea intensity.

methodsA randomized controlled trial comprising 88 female university students randomly divided in two groups of intervention (EMDR therapy for two 60-min sessions, and control) was conducted based on the balanced blocks randomization method. The main outcome assessed was intensity of dysmenorrhea. Other outcomes were menstrual pain duration, menstrual distress, and the need to take analgesics. All outcomes were assessed at three time points (before intervention, and one and two months after the intervention). Data were evaluated using analysis of variance for repeated measures, Cochran test, and McNemar test (at p < .05).

resultsRepeated measures ANOVA-ANCOVA analysis indicated that EMDR significantly reduced dysmenorrhea intensity in the intervention group compared to controls at both follow-ups (p < 0.001), with a large group-by-time interaction effect (F = 16.99, p < 0.001). Pain duration also decreased significantly at the second two-month follow-up (p = 0.003). Menstrual phase distress showed marked improvements post-intervention (p < 0.001). The need to take analgesics was also reduced for participants in EMDR group compared to control group (p < .001).

conclusionThese findings suggest EMDR is effective in alleviating key dysmenorrhea symptoms, particularly pain intensity, menstrual phase-specific distress, and the need to take analgesics.

trial registrationIranian Center of Clinical Trials registration with reference code of IRCT20180823040851N1 in 06-10-2018.

Indexed as

EMDRMenstrual distressPain intensityPrimary dysmenorrhea

Identifiers

PMID40879852
PMCPMC12397053

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.