Determining the effects of therapeutic clowning on nurses in a children's rehabilitation hospital

Abstract

Objective: This pilot study aimed to determine the effects of therapeutic clowns for hospitalized children on their nurses. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 13 nurses explored perceptions of the clowns. Measures of physiological arousal, emotion and anxiety were also obtained from nine of these 13 nurses under two conditions – the presence or absence of therapeutic clowns on the unit. Results: Physiologically, the automatic nervous system signals of eight of the nine nurses exhibited consistent changes in patterns of responding when the clowns were present. Emotionally, nurses' reports of negative mood states were also reduced; no changes in anxiety were found. Qualitative data corroborated these findings and suggest that although therapeutic clowns expressly work with children, they also have a relational impact. Conclusions: Clowning seems to improve communication, role negotiation and the meaning of the unit as a social and physical place. A recommendation for mixed method research designs is offered to determine varied effects of arts-based interventions on stakeholders within healthcare settings.

Keywords:

• arts-based interventions
• pediatrics
• nurses
• rehabilitation
• therapeutic clowns

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Lisa Bonney for her assistance with data collection; Rachel Deutsch for her assistance with a review of the literature; Therapeutic Clowns, Jamie Burnett and Helen Donnelly, for their continued support of this work; and the nurses who contributed to this study. This work was supported by a Bloorview Research Institute Seed Grant [#08-054].