Online narrative exposure therapy for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities suffering from posttraumatic stress symptoms – study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Figures & data

Figure 1. Study flow chart

Table 1. Content of the intervention

Session	Main components
Session 1: Psychoeducation	Getting to know each other Information about PTSD symptoms and eNET Discussion about participants PTSD symptoms and triggers Introducing and practicing dissociation exercises Establishment of emergency plan (e.g. if participant dissociates, shows suicide risk)
Session 2: Lifeline	Creating an overview of all important events in the participants’ life; characterized by stones (traumatic), candles (sad), flowers (positive), and sticks (harms against others)
Sessions 3–11: Exposure	Traumatic events are exposed in chronological order Sensory, cognitive, emotional, physiological and meaning of the event are explored repeatedly as participant describes event (for the exposed event as well as the present) Narration (written testimony of the exposed event) is read to the participant in the following session (not in session 3)
Session 12: Final Session	Reading the final narration Reflecting on the events and the intervention Discussion of the tools for managing the return of memories Discussion of strategies for handling upcoming trauma

Table

	Yes	No
(1) Witnessing a life-threatening situation of your child (e.g. severe bleeding, stop breathing, passing out, severe seizures)	☐	☐
(2) Witnessing a severe accident or injury of your child (e.g. car accident, falling, drowning)	☐	☐
(3) Experiencing a medical emergency of your child (ambulance rides, rushing to hospital, calling 911)	☐	☐
(4) Seeing your child undergoing a medical procedure (e.g. breathing treatments, child hooked up to machines, forced treatments, CPR)	☐	☐
(5) Your child undergoing a life-threating surgery (e.g. heart surgery, organ transplant, routine surgery that is life-threatening because of pre-existing conditions)	☐	☐
(6) Hearing of a life-threatening event of your child (e.g. that may have happened at school, in your absence)	☐	☐
(7) Fearing that your child would die while waiting for care (e.g. waiting for ambulance, waiting for transplant)	☐	☐
(8) Receiving diagnosis of life-threatening disability of your child	☐	☐
(9) Being in the ICU/NICU/PICU with your child	☐	☐
(10) Witnessing a child not in your care die or being critically ill	☐	☐
(11) Applying life-saving procedures to your child during crisis (e.g. performing CPR, give/inject rescue medication)	☐	☐
(12) Witnessing serious self-harming behaviour of your child (e.g. injuring themselves, suicide attempt)	☐	☐
(13) Birth was life-threatening for mother or child	☐	☐
(14) Miscarriage	☐	☐
(15) Death of your child	☐	☐
(16) A situation in which your child threatened the health or life of you or someone else	☐	☐
(17) Other situations that were extremely frightening when caring for your child. Please explain:_________	☐	☐