Research suggests that clowns have a helpful role in the treatment of children in hospital

hough they ’ re the source of nightmares for some , clowns may help improve physical symptoms and psychological wellbeing in children and adolescents undergoing hospital stays .

That is according to Brazilian and Canadian scientists who trawled through previous research to find if clowns could be beneficial for young patients undergoing treatment .

From their analysis of 24 relevant clinical studies of clowns involving 1,612 subjects in the literature , they found that anxiety was the most frequently analysed symptom , followed by pain , psychological and emotional responses and perceived wellbeing , stress , cancerrelated fatigue , and crying .

Overall , their findings suggest that hospital clowns “ might have a positive effect in improving psychological wellbeing and emotional responses in children and adolescents in hospital with acute as well as chronic disorders .”

This is not news to Dr Bubbles , who has been clowning at hospitals in Malaysia since 2011 as part of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Red Bubbles Children ’ s Entertainer Society .

“ Our role is to reduce stress and empower the kids to make decisions in the hospital without the adults taking over ,” he told Global Health Asia-Pacific . “ The doctor says you have to take your medication , your parents force you to eat . We are there just to empower them , listen to them , and make a connection .”

Dr Bubbles trained to be a healthcare clown in 2003 in the United States and has since continued to learn under master teachers around the world . With two partners , his troupe works full-time at three hospitals and is appreciated by both parents and doctors .

“ At first , though , some doctors were sceptical about our role in their ward , but after a while they saw how

sometimes we connected better with the kids than even they did .

“ One paediatric consultant told us that her job is to do painful procedures on the kids , and ours is to heal that pain emotionally . When she said this , we knew for the first time that our work was being appreciated by doctors . We felt so humbled and honoured ,” Dr Bubbles added .

Previous studies have suggested that hospital clowns can help reduce stress and anxiety in children before and after surgery , but results have been inconsistent . The new review set out to fill the data gap and found that children and adolescents who were in the presence of hospital clowns , either with or without a parent present , reported significantly less anxiety during a range of medical procedures , as well as improved psychological wellbeing compared with standard care .

Three trials that evaluated chronic conditions , such as cancer , showed significant reductions in stress , fatigue , pain , and distress in children who interacted with hospital clowns . Only one trial found no difference in distress levels .

Given that adults have a higher instance of coulrophobia than children , another study should reassure parents that there ’ s no reason to fear hospital clowns visiting their kids .

In 2017 , French and Canadian researchers asked 33 parents of children in an intensive care unit how they felt about bedside performances by a pair of clowns , and most were positive .

Twenty-eight parents said the clowns had cheered them up , and 27 admitted they had also cheered up their child . Just one parent felt the clowning was “ unnecessary .” This suggests clowns should be deployed to lift spirits in paediatric wards more frequently , the researchers said .

26 APRIL 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com