Meisel Victoria, Chellew Karin, Ponsell Esperança, Ferreira Ana, Bordas Leonor, García-Banda Gloria
Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Psicothema. 2009 Nov;21(4):604-9.
The presence of clowns in health care settings is a program used in many countries to reduce distress in children who are undergoing surgery. The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of the presence of clowns on children's distress and maladaptive behaviours while in hospital for minor surgery. The sample consisted of 61 pediatric patients (aged 3-12 years) undergoing general anesthesia for minor surgery. Participants were assigned to two groups: experimental and control group. The child's distress was assessed using FAS (Facial Affective Scale). Postoperative maladaptive behaviors were evaluated one week after surgery, using the PHBQ (Post-Hospital Behavior Questionnaire). Our results suggest that clowns are not able to reduce the child's level of distress. However, postoperative maladaptive behaviours in the experimental group decreased, but the decrease was not statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine the effects of clowns in hospitals, taking into account age, sex, parents' presence, and diverse hospital settings.
在医疗环境中安排小丑是许多国家采用的一项旨在减轻接受手术儿童痛苦的项目。本研究的目的是确定小丑的存在对接受小手术住院儿童的痛苦及适应不良行为的影响。样本包括61名接受小手术全身麻醉的儿科患者（年龄在3至12岁之间）。参与者被分为两组：实验组和对照组。使用面部表情量表（FAS）评估儿童的痛苦程度。术后一周，使用医院后行为问卷（PHBQ）评估术后适应不良行为。我们的结果表明，小丑无法降低儿童的痛苦程度。然而，实验组术后的适应不良行为有所减少，但这种减少在统计学上并不显著。需要进一步研究，考虑年龄、性别、父母在场情况以及不同的医院环境，以确定小丑在医院中的作用。
