Work

Psychological benefits of the ASSYST-G protocol for individuals affected by the cold drop meteorological event

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: Climate-related disasters, such as the catastrophic DANA event in Valencia (October 2024), present significant public health challenges, leading to acute stress, anxiety, and functional impairment. Early intervention is critical to prevent the transition from acute distress to chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Acute Stress Syndrome Stabilization-Group Protocol (ASSYST-G), an EMDR-based intervention rooted in the Adaptive Information Processing model, in reducing subjective distress and traumatic symptoms among survivors. Methods: A community-based, repeated-measures design was conducted with 570 adults directly exposed to the disaster. Participants were offered up to three 45-min sessions of the ASSYST-G protocol, usually distributed over a 1.5-day period. Symptom severity and Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) were assessed at five time points: baseline (T0), after each session (T1, T2, T3), and at a 1-week follow-up (T4) using a validated brief version of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Results: < 0.001). Clinically meaningful improvements were observed in emotional, cognitive, and somatic domains immediately post-intervention, with symptom levels at the 1-week follow-up remaining below baseline levels. The protocol demonstrated high feasibility and tolerability within the high-demand emergency context of the affected municipalities. Discussion: The findings suggest that ASSYST-G may represent a highly effective, scalable, and time-efficient approach for early trauma intervention. The observed reduction in acute distress is consistent with theoretical models proposing that EMDR-based interventions may contribute to the regulation of sympathetic nervous system hyper activation and facilitate adaptive information processing; however, these mechanisms were not directly examined in the present study and should therefore be considered hypothetical. Overall, the findings are consistent with previous evidence supporting the use of EMDR group protocols and highlight their potential public health value as an early intervention strategy to reduce post-traumatic symptoms following mass trauma events. Future research should examine the long-term stability of these outcomes and investigate the underlying mechanisms of action across different disaster contexts.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1906948