Clowning in health care settings: The point of view of adults

Abstract

Within the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in investigating the effects of clown intervention in a large variety of clinical settings. Many studies have focused on the effects of clown intervention on children. However, few studies have investigated clowning effects on adults. This paper presents an overview of the concept of medical clowning followed by a literature review conducted on the empirical studies drawn from three data bases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar), with the aim of mapping and discussing the evidence of clowning effects on non-children, namely adults. The following areas were investigated: Adult and elderly patients (mainly those with dementia), observers of clowning, namely non-hospitalized adults who are at the hospital as relatives of patients or health-care staff, and finally clowns themselves. The main results are that 1) clown intervention induces positive emotions, thereby enhancing the patient’s well-being, reduces psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and prompts a decrease in negative emotions, such as anxiety and stress; 2) clown doctors are also well-perceived by relatives and healthcare staff and their presence appears to be useful in creating a lighter atmosphere in the health setting; 3) few pilot studies have been conducted on clown doctors and this lacuna represents a subject for future research.

WITHDRAWN: Humorous Dispositions Predicting Turnover among Early-Career Israeli Medical Clowns

“…To sum up, previous research has indicated that medical clowns help in providing effective treatment by bringing out positive emotions in hospitalized patients [1]. Our research ndings support the notion that a sense of humor aids in predicting personal outcomes for medical clowns.…”

“…Actions such as these would be particularly effective during their early stages in the profession Moreover, humor can be learned, trained, or otherwise leveraged for organizational advantage [28]. Finally, although medical clown interventions have been shown to mitigate the negative effects of hospitalization and have a positive impact on both patients and medical staff [1,2,4 ], it seems that we need a better understanding of clowns' personality in order to integrate them in the healthcare delivery system. In their typical work experience, the medical clown performs alone and, in some cases, in a non-supportive environment.…”

“…As a relatively new player in the health eld, the medical clown profession was established to help ease the suffering, pain, and anxiety of hospital patients [1,2]. Medical clowns use humor in a very challenging health setting and must adjust and cope with a wide array of emotions and di cult situations [3].…”

“…Medical clowns use humor in a very challenging health setting and must adjust and cope with a wide array of emotions and di cult situations [3]. To accomplish their goals, medical clowns are required to elicit smiles and laughter when interacting with patients, families, and medical staff [3,1]. Whereas recent studies have focused on the therapeutic bene ts associated with the use of medical clowns [2], very few studies have investigated the clowns' personal characteristics and behavior [4,5].…”

Clowning as a Complementary Approach for Reducing Iatrogenic Effects in Pediatrics

“…Original research on this topic was first published in 2005 [19], when a group of Italian researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial at Meyer Children's Hospital in Florence [14]. The researchers found that the group of children accompanied by clowns and a parent experienced significantly less anxiety in the operating theater, as measured by the modified-Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS), compared to the control group, who only had the company of a parent.…”