ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2011
Physiological and emotional responses of disabled children to therapeutic clowns: a pilot study.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of hospital clowns for symptom management in paediatrics: systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2020Pooled it
- Therapeutic clowns in pediatrics: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of pediatrics · 2016Pooled it
- The Effect of Clown Intervention on Self-Report and Biomarker Measures of Stress and Fatigue in Pediatric Osteosarcoma Inpatients: A Pilot Study.Integrative cancer therapies · 2018Trial
- Patients' Evaluation of Intervention by a Medical Clown Visit or by Viewing a Humorous Film Following In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer.Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine · 2017Trial
- Reducing anxiety in the pediatric emergency department: a comparative trial.The Journal of emergency medicine · 2014Trial
- Constructing knowledge and moral skills through hospital clown interventions: a qualitative study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Article
- Management of preoperative anxiety with non-pharmacological methods in pediatric patients in resource-limited settings: a literature review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- The Impacts of a Clown Doctor Program on an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit: A Mixed Methods Investigation.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- Article
- The effect of medical/therapeutic clowns on the playfulness of children with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID · 2023Article
- Seriously Foolish and Foolishly Serious: The Art and Practice of Clowning in Children's Rehabilitation.The Journal of medical humanities · 2021Article
- Benefits of medical clowning in the treatment of young children with autism spectrum disorder.European journal of pediatrics · 2019Article
- Feeling happy and carefree: a qualitative study on the experiences of parents, medical clowns and healthcare professionals with medical clowns.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2018Article
- The 'placement' of people with profound impairments across the lifespan: re-thinking age criteria.BMC medicine · 2014Article
- Clowning as a supportive measure in paediatrics - a survey of clowns, parents and nursing staff.BMC pediatrics · 2013Article
- Classification of activity engagement in individuals with severe physical disabilities using signals of the peripheral nervous system.PloS one · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This pilot study examined the effects of Therapeutic Clowning on inpatients in a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. Ten disabled children with varied physical and verbal expressive abilities participated in all or portions of the data collection protocol. Employing a mixed-method, single-subject ABAB study design, measures of physiological arousal, emotion and behavior were obtained from eight children under two conditions-television exposure and therapeutic clown interventions. Four peripheral autonomic nervous system (ANS) signals were recorded as measures of physiological arousal; these signals were analyzed with respect to measures of emotion (verbal self reports of mood) and behavior (facial expressions and vocalizations). Semistructured interviews were completed with verbally expressive children (n = 7) and nurses of participating children (n = 13). Significant differences among children were found in response to the clown intervention relative to television exposure. Physiologically, changes in ANS signals occurred either more frequently or in different patterns. Emotionally, children's (self) and nurses' (observed) reports of mood were elevated positively. Behaviorally, children exhibited more positive and fewer negative facial expressions and vocalizations of emotion during the clown intervention. Content and themes extracted from the interviews corroborated these findings. The results suggest that this popular psychosocial intervention has a direct and positive impact on hospitalized children. This pilot study contributes to the current understanding of the importance of alternative approaches in promoting well-being within healthcare settings.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.