Publication Cover
Arts & Health
An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice
Volume 10, 2018 - Issue 2
648
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The effect of a clown model implemented in hospital on the anxiety and depression level of ill children and their mothers

&
Pages 138-150 | Received 29 Oct 2016, Accepted 09 May 2017, Published online: 31 May 2017
 

Abstract

Background: This study aims to investigate the effect of hospital clowns on the anxiety and depression level of child patients and their mothers during hospital stay.

Methods: 99 children (7–13 years old) and their mothers were randomly divided into clown and control groups. Anxiety and depression levels of the groups were measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results: 96% of the children stated that they had enjoyed the clowns, 84% said the clowns had been entertaining and relieving, 60% reported the clowns had reduced their fear and excitement, 94% wished the clowns would visit them again and 80% said the first thing they would remember when they were hospitalized again would be the clowns. The presence of clowns during hospital stay was found useful for managing children’s anxiety and depression (p < .05), but it was not efficient for their mothers (p > .05).

Conclusion: Clown intervention is effective in reducing anxiety and depression levels in children during hospitalization.

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to all of the participants and Nevin Şeker in the study. The authors thank Funda Demirtürk for her contribution about language edition.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 209.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.