Children with sickle cell disease may experience frequent painful episodes. This, together with the traumatic experiences during a hospitalization, can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress reactions. As the stress can trigger painful episodes (pain crisis) in children with sickle cell disease, the investigators think that treating these stress symptoms can reduce the pain-related problems in their lives. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is proven to be an effective trauma treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Research studies show that EMDR can reduce pain in adults. The investigators want to study now if EMDR effective is in reducing pain-related problems in children with sickle cell disease.
Medical diagnosis of SCD
Age between 6 and 18 years old
Elevated pain interference scores: Reporting above the clinical cut-off T-score of 49 on PROMIS Pain Interference (parent-proxy version for children from 6-7 years and self-report version for children from 8 years).
Having sufficient knowledge of the Dutch or English languages to complete the assessments
Undergone successful stem cell transplantation
Pregnant adolescents
Current unsafety that is likely to interfere with psychological therapy for example ongoing domestic violence
Major interfering acute medical or psychiatric condition, such as psychosis, substance dependence, current severe self-harm or high risk for suicide requiring immediate treatment