Being a patient in a hospital in no fun, especially for children. Along with any pain they’re feeling from the condition or injury that led them there, these children are surrounded by strangers, beeping machines and other scary things.
New research finds that comfort can come from an unlikely source: clowns.
Researchers in Brazil and Canada looked at more than 20 studies that examined the role hospital clowns play in easing stress and fears in children hospitalized with acute and chronic conditions. Their findings, published in the journal BMJ, were that these clowns should be taken seriously.
They compared the use of clowns with standard care in managing a variety of symptoms among inpatient children. Anxiety was the most frequently analyzed symptom, followed by pain, psychological and emotional distress, cancer-related fatigue and crying. Most of the studies used biomarkers, mainly the stress hormone cortisol, to assess stress or fatigue.
Kids in the presence of clowns, with or without a parent around, showed significantly less anxiety during a range of medical procedures as well as improved psychological adjustment. Several studies found lower levels of stress, fatigue and pain.
The findings suggest having clowns around can help during certain medical procedures and even for routine care for chronic conditions.
For sure, not everyone is a fan of clowns. In fact, some people report having an intense fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia [kowl-ruh-FOW-bee-uh], so caregivers should gauge the patient’s comfort levels before inviting the clown car.
But anything that can help reduce a hospitalized child’s fear and anxiety is no laughing matter.