EMDR with First-Generation College Students At-Risk of Facing a Forced Marriage

In forced marriage cases, individuals and couples are coerced by emotional and physical violence into marriage and risk ostracization from their community. Often compounding these complexities are the challenges many forced marriage survivors additionally have as first-generation college students (FGCS), specifically when wanting to pursue an education that conflict with the marriage chosen for them by their families. However, there are limited studies and clinical interventions addressing the nature of forced marriage and its emotional and psychological impact on at-risk adult survivors and FGCS in the United States. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), a trauma intervention targeting post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms including guilt and shame, may help at-risk forced marriage survivors and FGCS address these symptoms. I hypothesize that using EMDR as a clinical intervention may empower at-risk adult forced marriage survivors, including those who also identify as FGCS, to free themselves from taking responsibility for their families, prioritize their emotional needs, and work towards independence.